


It's a long road ahead, but I wanna walk it with you

by Kaykay_422



Series: Frost and Fire [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Afterlife, Bi-Curiosity, Black OC, Black Reader, Eventual Smut, F/M, LGBTQ Female Character, Nat the diplomat, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, On Hiatus, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Pregnancy, Souls, Unplanned Pregnancy, Valkyrie Reader (Marvel), badguy!Thor, idiotic!Thor, soft!Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:09:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23462221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaykay_422/pseuds/Kaykay_422
Summary: Karai and Loki return in an epic new adventure picking up right where we left them. But, despite the two just wanting to spend time together and explore their new relationship, new dangers and threats arise. Karai struggles with now being a Valkyrie, while Loki's diplomatic expertise is needed, and all the while, a new evil lurks in the shadows. Will it drive them apart, or only bring them closer together?If you have not read the first part of this series, Frost and Fire, I strongly recommend it. This is literally just a continuation from their and a lot of our characters' histories are explained in that story and will not be mentioned in here.On Hiatus until further notice
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/reader platonic, Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Loki (Marvel)/Reader, OC/godson!Tony stark, Steve Rogers/Reader Platonic
Series: Frost and Fire [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617946
Comments: 15
Kudos: 24





	1. You and me against the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karai and Loki return, but is Loki going to be welcomed with open arms?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I make my triumphant return. I figured if I started posting chapters it would force me to stay focused and write lol. I got such good feedback from Frost and Fire that I just had to keep going! Hope you enjoy!

We all know how we got here but we're gonna sum it up just in case. Loki came to earth running from his brother and instead discovered Karai, an African American woman who lives on her own with her wolf who is the son of Fenrir. She's a highly trained assassin who's over 1300 and has lived on earth for the past 800 years with 18 children. Loki realized he was stuck on Midgard and Karai decided to let him stay with her to keep a close eye on him. We find out Karai is actually the daughter of Surtr and Odin killed her parents and destroyed her home, Muspelheim. Thor comes to earth in search of Loki and in turn drags Loki and Karai into the whirlwind that is Ragnarok. In the end Karai sacrifices her life to save Loki and he uses the Tesseract to bring her to the Avengers. Karai meets Hela once again in Hel where she is granted her life once again and wakes up on a table in Tony Stark's lab. Okay we're all caught up, now the story can begin. Enjoy!

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Karai making a full recovery in an hour after being brought back from the brink of death was expected. Her now having wings and explaining that she got them from Hela was a little harder to comprehend. Her telling the Avengers that she and Loki cared for each other? Completely unexpected and not going too well.

“What do you mean he’s been here for 5 months?!” Definitely not going well. Her children, Rose and Jacob, had already left, saying that they had things they needed to attend to but would be stopping by Karai’s home soon to check on her.

“He’s kind of been at my house for the past 5 months serving out his sentences….” They were all sitting in a conference room and Loki was cuffed again.

“And you didn’t think that we should be informed that a homicidal maniac was living freely on the very planet that he tried to take over?” Karai held her head down a little. 

“If it makes you feel any better, he wasn’t completely free. I made him stay in my house and could only leave when I did.” Steve glared at her and she couldn’t help but feel even more guilty. She looked around the room to see Bucky, Sam, and Rhodey near the wall, arms crossed and had their guards up. Natasha was sitting in a chair looking disturbingly calm and Clint had his hand on the back of her chair as he glared daggers at Loki. Wanda sat quietly with Vision while Steve was reprimanding Karai. What was making her feel the worst was to see her godson sitting in the corner of the room looking completely hurt and betrayed. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t intentionally try to keep this from any of you. I expected Loki to leave right away after he showed up. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Every time I thought of telling you all, I kept putting it off until the next day. Loki’s been living here peacefully for 5 months with no restraints on his magic. You all know that I don’t sleep at night, which means I basically had 24 hour watch on him. If I ever considered him a threat at all I would have told you immediately and dealt with it accordingly, you’ve gotta believe that.” They still didn’t look convinced and Karai sighed. Loki tried to give her a reassuring look, but it was obvious that he was even unsure that the Avengers were going to let him go. They’d put a pair of Asgardian cuffs on him this time that Thor had left behind in case of emergencies. He wasn’t going anywhere now unless they wanted him to.

“I’m sorry, Karai, but you can’t just expect us to trust him! Haven’t you considered that this could all be a trick?”

“Of course I have, Steve. But there is one thing you haven’t taken into thought. Why would he risk coming back to the very people who defeated him the first time, knowing that he was at their mercy this time, and ask for help?” They all went silent, trying to mull over possible benefits for Loki if he saved Karai’s life, but they were coming up short. Karai was one of the only people who could solely take on Loki, why would he save her life if he was planning something?

“If I may, I think you all should know the complete truth of where I was prior to returning to Midgard.” Steve quirked an eyebrow at him. Loki told them the truth of what happened during the attack on New York and all of the events that occured after.

“I came here on the run from Thor originally, but after discovering I couldn’t return, I stayed and found Karai. She’s been nothing but a gracious host and possibly the first real friend I’ve ever had. Asgard’s throne is nothing to me but a reminder of the treachery Odin used to get it. I refuse to be like _him_. I remember all that I have done and I want to make amends for it, before it is too late.” She squeezed his hand and a gagging sound was heard from the corner.

“Dear God, that was nauseating. Come on, Aunt Kar, you can’t actually tell me that you believe all of this?” The room was silent and everyone else in the room exchanged looks.

“No, not you guys too?” 

“Not me. I still want him inside a doorless cell.” Clint spoke up and Tony pointed at him.

“See, he’s thinking straight. Look, we can’t just start taking in bad guys and trying to reform them just because they say that they want to ‘be good’ now. We’re the Avengers, not Rehab.”

“Stark, I think we should at least take his claim into consideration.” Wanda finally said

“Alright, I’ll think about it...Hmm...request denied.”

“But, Stark-”

“No! No buts’! You look me in the eye and tell me you can’t see darkness in his head. And even if you don’t, I wouldn’t believe it. I’ve seen him in action, the dark lifeless look in his eyes that showed a man who wanted nothing but destruction. Just because you’re all blind doesn’t mean that I am.”

“...dark, lifeless stare. You mean like mine, Stark? The one that I wore as The Soldier?” Bucky narrowed his eyes at Tony. The two had actually begun to get along more recently, despite everything. Not friends, but they had each other’s backs on the battlefield and Tony didn’t _exactly_ hate Bucky anymore for his parents.

“Don’t give me that shit, Barnes. He’s not you and is capable of a lot more chaos.”

“That doesn’t make his story a lie though, does it?” Tony just scoffed.

“You know what, you’re all full of it. You want to believe a homicidal maniac? Fine! Just leave me out of it. I already still got Ross on my ass after the situation with Barnes. I won’t be held accountable for harboring an intergalactic fugitive. I damn sure hope you know what you’re doing this time.” Tony made his way towards the door, giving Karai one last disappointed look before walking out.

“Tony…” Karai stood and tried to follow him but was held back by Nat.

“Just let him go. He needs time to remember that we’re not against him just because we don’t agree with him.” Karai nodded and sat down. She saw Rhodey make his way out the door and mentally thanked him.

“Alright, we shouldn’t allow this, but since we’ve been dealing with more and more people switching to our side lately, we’re gonna put you on probation. It’s basically the same thing Buck was on when we finally came back to New York.. You’ll be monitored 24/7 and you will be staying with Karai the entire time. You are to come up to the Compound every week for evaluations and we’ll be having Peter check on you periodically. If you step out of line once, you’re going in a cell so deep in the ground that it’ll take you 100 years to get out even with your powers, do you understand me?” Steve was using his captain voice and it was clear that there was some hostility in it. He wasn’t completely happy about this either, but he knew Karai and he trusted her enough to let Loki stay. Loki only responded with a curt nod and Clint scoffed.

“So that’s it? We’re just going to let him live on earth now? Did you forget that he enslaved an entire army? Including me?!”

“Clint, we’ve been over this, we’ve all been mind controlled. Let it go.” Natasha patted his arm and he grumbled and pouted like a child. Karai smiled and then reached over to undo Loki’s cuffs.

“Jeez K, couldn’t you just leave them on to make us feel better?”

“Sam, you’re standing next to a reformed super soldier who was responsible for over 2 dozen assassinations over the past 70 years. I think it’s safe to say, you like to live on the edge.” Loki looked at Karai puzzled and she explained everything about Bucky and Steve being actually 100.

“We may be 100 but we sure as hell don’t act like it.” Bucky smirked.

“Naw, y’all definitely act like it. You just don’t look like it.” Sam quipped and Bucky looked offended.

“Whaddya mean by that, bird brain?”

“I’m just sayin-” Bucky and Sam started bickering and it didn’t take long for Steve to get irritated.

“Guys, that’s enough.” The two stopped arguing at the sound of Cap’s voice.

“You know, I don’t know if I should be delighted that you’ve seemed to have reformed a villain, or angry that you didn’t tell me and Buck.” Steve smiled at Karai.

“Yeah Karai? And how come you stopped calling us? Do you not love your little brothers anymore?” Bucky tried to look hurt and Karai rolled her eyes.

“Oh stop you two. Of course I love you. I’ve just been busy, alright?” Bucky scoffed at that.

“Yeah, busy gettin’ alien dick.” Everyone looked at Bucky, some in shock and others trying to hide their amusement.

“Buck!”

“Don’t look at me like that, punk. You were thinkin the same thing and you know it.” Steve’s face went crimson and Karai’s was no better.

“You’re sick, Barnes.” Karai glared at him and he just shrugged. Steve and Bucky had become like little brothers to Karai at the end of the war between the team. Steve had called Karai to Wakanda and asked if she could help some with Bucky’s treatments and help reform him. In the process, she also managed to give them both lessons on the 21st century and bring them both more up to date on things they had yet to learn. They bonded so well that Karai had officially dubbed them her little brothers and it had been like this ever since.

“Ms.Karai, if I may ask, how did you two end up here?” Vision finally asked the question that everyone had been weighing on everyone’s minds.

“Well, you’ll have to ask Loki how we ended up in the tower, but it all started one pleasant afternoon…..”

*One tale of heroics later*

“I found another portal leading from Asgard to Midgard and then teleported here for your help.” Karai could tell that Loki was lying but decided not to question it for now. Sometimes, the guys didn’t need to know _everything_ right away. She’d find out later and tell them if she deemed it necessary. They were all looking at the two in amazement.

“Wow, that’s something.”

“So, Thor’s on his way with an entire army of aliens to live here because you just accidentally on purpose destroyed Asgard? And Banner is alive and with them?”

“Pretty much.” Steve sighed at that.

“Looks like we’re gonna need to tell Ross after all. Tony’s not gonna like this.”

Karai stepped out of the room to use the restroom and all eyes quickly turned to Loki, who, admittedly, was feeling just a little uneasy. He wasn’t powerless at the moment, but he didn’t want to do anything that could possibly ruin his chances of earning their trust.

“Listen real good cause we’re only gonna say this once. If you hurt her, we’ll personally make sure the Hulk pays you a visit.” Loki internally cringed but he steeled his gaze and straightened his back. He wasn’t one to be threatened, no matter what.

“I understand your concerns, but I assure you that your threats are not needed. I’d do away with my own life 1000 times before I ever hurt her. She’s the only thing that matters to me and nothing will ever change that.” They were a little amazed at his behavior really. He wasn’t fighting or quipping back at them. Instead, he was stating his affection for Karai. And the look in his eyes when Karai returned made them all the more sure that they were doing the right thing, even if Tony didn’t think so yet. One of her wings bumped the door on the way and she yelped in pain.

“Ow! Dammit! Come on, just retract or whatever!” Karai wasn’t sure what she had done but the wings suddenly receded into her back.

“Well, that’s convenient.”

They all went about telling stories of recent happenings and cracking jokes, easily falling into a comfortable atmosphere. She loved them all so much. They were like the brothers and sisters she’d once had. At one point in life she was afraid of bonding with mortals, because of the fate that would one day come. They would die before her. But over the centuries she had come to terms with it. She’d started living century by century and developing new relationships each time.

Karai looked over to Loki, who she now realized had been very quiet. She took his hand in hers, to which he smiled.

“Hey Mischief, you doing alright?” He held back a chuckle at her accent. It was always changing. One second she would sound perfectly articulate, like himself, the next she’d sound like a native Midgardian. And other times there was a funny blend between the two.

“I’m doing fine darling. I’m actually quite surprised. They aren’t throwing me out or trying to lock me up. There could be multiple reasons for that but I still prefer it over having to stay with Thor.” Karai thought back to the odd way Thor had been acting towards them lately and shrugged.

“I’m sure he’ll come around eventually. Just give him time.”

“I hope so, darling.” What Karai hadn’t realized was that Loki was more concerned about Thor’s actions towards her than himself. He’d called her a fire demon and had started treating her as if she were a monster, even admitting that he was proud Odin had destroyed her home. One could only hope prejudices like that could be overcome in the time it took to fly a spacecraft from Asgard to Midgard.

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Later that day, Karai was making her way through the Compound in search of a certain godson of hers. She’d left Loki in the company of one metal armed super soldier who was curious about Loki’s knife wielding techniques after hearing about them earlier, and Clint was playing fetch with Gabe outside. She of course found Tony locked in his lab working on what appeared to be some kind of neurological device.

“Knock knock, can I come in?” She said as she entered the doorway.

“Why ask? You’re just gonna do what you want anyway.” 

“Sounds like someone else I know.” Tony stayed silent for a moment.

“...I’m not like that anymore, Aunt Kar.” Karai sighed.

“I know, and I’m so proud of you.” 

For years Karai had blamed herself for what had happened to Tony. She had been shipped out with the SEALs at the time that his parents were assassinated. She knew she couldn’t have been there to stop it, but for a long time she wished she would have tried to prevent it. She had been captured by Hydra at a point and was held at the same base they were keeping the Winter Soldier. Maybe she could have set him free? But knowing Hydra, they would have found him. 

“You’re proud enough to go off and harbor and shack up with one of my enemies?” Tony snapped at her. He was beyond pissed about this still. He’d just dealt with Steve choosing Bucky over the team, now he felt like Karai, the last of his family, was choosing Loki over him.

“Alright, I’ll admit I was harboring him, but that was it. We literally just kissed for the first time like 24 hours ago? Maybe?” Tony looked at her annoyed and Karai sighed.

“I don’t know what you want me to do, Tony. I believe he is telling the truth. He was a victim in the attack, and I refuse to lock up a man who killed people against his will. It makes him no more guilty than Barnes or _You_.” Tony went silent and looked back down at his desk. He still felt responsible for all those deaths in Sokovia. Hell, he still felt guilty at times when he remembered that he had been unknowingly providing fire arms and funding wars in other countries for years.

“Tony, everyone deserves a second chance and you know it better than anyone.” Tony sighed and ran his hands down his face.

“...You really care about him don’t you?” Karai nodded.

“I’ve never felt like this before, Tones. For once, survival isn’t the priority.” Tony nodded. She’d told him long ago about Julfr and how they ended up on earth.

“You sure he’s not plotting anything?”

“I’m pretty sure, but you can always ask Stephen if you’re uncertain.”

“Wait, Strange found out before me?!”

“He found out that Loki was on earth right before we ended up off world. Oh! By the way, Thor’s bringing the Asgardians to Earth because Asgard is destroyed.” Tony’s eyes went wide.

“You mean I have to figure out how to host an entire alien race?”

“Kinda.” Tony sighed.

“You always show up with a problem. Can you ever show up with a fruit basket? Nooo, instead you bring my arch nemesis and an alien race.”

“Oh stop complaining, you love it. Someone has to keep you on your toes. Besides, we found Banner and he’s on the ship with Thor as we speak, you’ll get your science bro back. I’ll make a couple calls too to help out. Some people owe me favors. Love you kiddo.” She kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair and he swatted her away.

“Yeah yeah, love you too. My wallet doesn’t though.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos, comment, and subscribe to this story! The goal is to update every Wednesday and you won't want to miss any of this!


	2. Meet and Greet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor arrives on earth, and Nick Fury and General Ross find out about Loki, as well as Karai's family. Is Loki going to be accepted? Are the Asgardians on good terms with Karai, despite her destroying Asgard?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More just filler. A lot of important info in this chapter to remember for later on in the story.

A day later, Thor’s ship landed on Midgard and everyone went to meet them. At the sight of Thor with his eye-patch, Karai couldn’t help how uneasy that made her feel. He looked like the spitting image of young Odin. Fury and some SHIELD agents and General Ross and some government officials had joined them as well to discuss immigration, colonization, and such. At the sight of Loki, both parties had gone ballistic and things looked like they weren’t going to end well. It got even more confusing when Karai’s new wings popped out.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!” Karai exclaimed as the white fluffy wings ruffled behind her. That’s when Doctor Stephen Strange made an appearance once again, appearing through a sparking portal.

“Gentlemen, as a master of the mystic arts and Sorcerer Supreme, I can guarantee all of your safety around Loki. Please continue with your dealings and we can discuss his presence further afterward.” Fury narrowed his gaze at Strange and Ross looked uncertain, but the two still turned back to Thor and continued negotiations.

“Doc, what are you doing here?” Karai whisper yelled to Stephen who turned to smile at her.

“I knew Thor’s ship had landed so I came here as I had a hunch that you’d need some backup. If anything goes on, I can send you three to a completely shielded location right on earth. They’ll never find you even if given the location. Only those you let in can enter, like the Sanctum.” Karai was astonished and Loki even looked perplexed.

“Why?”

“Let’s just say, our destinies depend on you two staying on our good sides?” Karai was confused.

“You’ve been looking into the future again haven’t you? How many possibilities are there that the world ends because we end up apart or turn against everyone?” 

“I won’t say what the possibilities are if you two decide to go your separate ways, I still want you both to have a choice in your lives. But around 65% of the futures I saw ended badly because you two turned against everyone. So, I for one am making a step in the right direction for my favorite outcome so far. Love the new wings by the way.” Stephen smiled and Karai just shook her head. The man was always so confusing with his insights.

“Is that what I think it is around your neck?” Loki asked him, referring to the time stone.

“Yes, it is actually. I like to take a peek into the future on occasions and see what our next possible demise may be. Thanos and completely obliterated has erased quite a few that could have taken place in the coming year. Thank you for that by the way. It would have been extremely tragic had you not.” Loki nodded and all of their attention was grabbed at the sight of Thor shaking hands with Ross and Fury.

“I guess the negotiations are finished.”

“That is correct, Ms. Pozharnik. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like a thorough explanation as to why his ass isn’t even in handcuffs.” Fury made his way over and Ross was on his tail.

“Skip the explanation, I want him at the RAFT now!” Fury raised an eyebrow at him.

“Excuse you, but I believe I asked first, and considering that statement you just made was stupid as hell because you are nowhere near equipped for holding him, I suggest you shut your damn mouth.” Ross shut his mouth. Karai and Loki were about to go into their explanations when Thor came over.

“Loki I need to have a word.” 

“Now is not the best time, Thor. You’ll have to wait.”

“This matter cannot wait as it concerns all of us and the possible danger we could be in.” Loki saw how both Fury and Ross looked at him questioningly and narrowed his eyes at Thor.

“Very well, what do you have to say, Odinson?”

“I heard your conversation with Hela while you were distracting her. Is it true? Is Thanos after you?” Thor expected everyone to be shocked, but the only ones who even seemed confused were Ross and Fury.

“It  _ was _ true, but I took care of it long ago.”

“Wait, before you go any further, who is this Thanos guy and is he a threat to us?” Fury finally questioned.

“He’s known as the Mad Titan, the last of his kind. He travels all over the Universe, destroying worlds. He had a plan to collect all of the Infinity Stones to reshape the universe in his image. He was the one whose control I was under during the attack years ago. He wanted me to take over Midgard, so it would be easy for him to come here and take the two infinity stones that I had collected at the time, the Tesseract and The Mind Stone. If I was unsuccessful and/or was captured, he said he would search the ends of the Universe to find me and kill me.” Then Loki smirked.

“So while ruling Asgard, I took the opportunity to do something wise that would not only benefit myself, but the rest of the Nine Realms as well. I used a few of Odin’s reelects from the palace archives and I went after Thanos myself. I was sure that if I didn’t return, that Heimdall would find a way to inform you and you’d return and search for Odin anyway. So I set out, and I infiltrated Thanos’ ships and wiped out him and his army. Rendering the world free of the devastation he might have caused.” Loki was looking smug and Thor just looked further annoyed. 

“So you were mind controlled during New York?”

“That is correct.”

“Do you remember what you did?” Loki’s eyes downcast at that. 

“I remember everything, every face. There’s not a moment that doesn’t go by that I don’t regret it all. I believe part of me was aware, but all I was capable of doing was somehow sabotaging myself. I managed to choose a place that had the only people capable of defeating me. I could have easily taken the Tesseract and gone somewhere else.” Fury stared at him for a moment silently.

“Well, considering you are not the first brain washed bad guy I have encountered, and I doubt you will be the last, I’m going to be keeping tabs on you and leave you in the hands of the Avengers. I’m sure they’ll figure out what to do with you. I’ve got too much on my plate already. Good day to you all.” Fury turned to leave.

“You can’t leave him in their hands! Have you seen what they’ve done to this world?! If you don’t take him in, I will!” Fury stopped mid step and turned to look at General Ross and smirked.

“I’d like to see you try.” And then he walked away. Ross stood there and let out a frustrated groan and pointed at Loki and Karai.

“This isn’t over!” Karai grabbed Loki’s arm and smirked.

“I believe it is, as the Avengers have placed him under my watch.”

“What?!”

“That’s right. You know you can’t touch me Ross, which means you now can’t touch him either. Besides, don’t you remember what happened with Barnes? I’d like to see you try and take him.” With that Karai walked away and pulled Loki with her.

“You know, with all of your power, both physically and politically, I’m surprised you never tried to rule this realm.”

“Nah, ruling isn’t my thing. Plus there are a lot more enhanced midgardians than you think. Even I don’t stand a chance against them all at once. Maybe if I went full Hel Fire mode I could destroy the place though.” Karai joked and Loki chuckled. Thor came walking up to them and Loki mentally put his guard up. The overgrown man-child was beginning to grate on his nerves.

“Can I help you, Thor?”

“You said you stole father’s relics. I know what you’re talking about, Loki. Where’s the Tesseract?”

“Oh, yes. I almost forgot. I had no use for it anymore so it was back in the palace archives until they were destroyed. I was trying to get us off of Asgard when I found it and used it to bring us here. It really helped save Karai’s life but I have no need of it anymore.” Loki summoned the Tesseract and handed it to Thor without hesitation. It was better in Thor’s hands after all, they trusted him. Everyone had chosen at that moment to look at their exchange and their jaws dropped as they watched Loki willingly give Thor the Tesseract. Thor looked at him unbelieving.

“This is a trick.”

“No, I’m afraid not. If you don’t believe me then you can try it for yourself. For once, I have too much to lose if I keep it. I guess you can say I have a ‘weak spot’ now. Enjoy your life Thor, I believe this is goodbye for now.” Loki turned himself and Karai around and they continued making their way towards the ship of Asgardians.

“You won’t believe how proud I am of you right now.” Karai’s smile was so big and her eyes were full of such adoration and Loki chuckled.

“Well, darling, you have standing before you, a changed man. I have no desire for power anymore, only happiness, your happiness to be precise.” Karai couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and more importantly, who it was saying all of this. She couldn’t help wondering if this was who Loki was all along.

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They spent hours discussing things with the Asgardians such as things like construction. Karai had offered her help several times but everyone seemed to decline immediately. The first couple times she thought it was their pride, but after overhearing them accept help from the Avengers and Karai getting turned down several more times, she started to notice something. It seemed that despite Karai just saving them all from Hela, they were very weary and borderline afraid of her. She’d seen a few parents go through the effort of hiding their children behind them. She tried to not let it get to her. She was used to this kind of treatment, hell she’d endured Civil Rights. Her spirits lifted when she’d finally gotten to talk to the Sakaar gang. She was nearly squished by Hulk.

“Thor said you dead.”

“Are you kidding me? I could never leave you big guy. It’ll take a lot more than a goddess of death to get rid of me.” That made Hulk happy to hear.

“You different. You have wings now?”

“Yeah, Hela had to give them to me since I kicked her ass. They’re my trophy. You like them?” Hulk grunted and nodded in reply. Karai took a good look around the landscape, when they were flying in she had noticed that it was empty for miles around and would take probably hours by car to even get to the nearest sight of civilization. A good spot for a spaceship landing.

“Hey, you want to go find Gabe? I think he’d like to stretch his legs again.” Hulk looked at her concerned.

“Safe?”

“Yeah, looks like it. Just don’t go causing any earthquakes, okay?” Hulk grunted and then made his way towards the wolf who was currently sitting near the Avengers quinjet that they had arrived in. As soon as he saw Hulk he barked in excitement and started to grow. He full on tackled Hulk and Karai couldn’t help smiling at how adorable it was. Who knew the big guy actually had a soft spot for animals?

Karai got a chance to talk to Brunhilde after the Valkyrie saw her wings.

“If all you say is true then I suppose I could go and visit the old hag.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask that, she told me she’d be seeing a lot more of me as well. What did she mean by that?”

“You mean you don’t know? Valkyrie can travel to Niflheim. It’s one of our jobs, to escort souls into the afterlife. All the Valkyries being dead now make it a lot easier to keep a wrangle on souls. We used to have to go back and forth and take shifts. If a soul is lost, it is lost forever, it turns to a wandering ghoul in Niflheim that tries to devour other souls, this is why we escort them, for safety. That hasn’t happened in over a thousand years though.”

“Wow, you all are extremely efficient, even after death.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, with you all being so low in number, it’s amazing you can keep a wrangle on all of those souls.” Brunhilde paused for a moment.

“...Karai, roughly how many Valkyries did you see in the Niflheim?”

“Maybe 50? I don’t quite know but that’s all I’m sure I saw while walking to Hel. Give or take a few.” Brunhilde's face fell and she looked away. She stayed silent for a moment and Karai was confused by her sudden change in behavior.

“...You’re gonna have to be trained. No questions asked.”

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A little more time of socializing went by and the Avengers started to load up on the Quinjet, this time with a recently transformed Bruce Banner, courtesy of Nat, who was both pissed at him for leaving like that, and happy that he was back. Karai gingerly made her way over to Loki.

“Well, I’m tired and ready to go home. How bout you?”

“I thought you’d never ask, darling. Shall we?” Karai whistled for Gabe who bounded over to them.

“Yes, we shall.” Karai waved to everyone one last time, then a flash of green, and the three of them stood in front of Karai’s home. They had been unaware that Thor had been glaring at them the whole time and looked even more irritated after they left.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three of them made their way inside, Gabe pushing past them to get in. Everything was calm, almost too calm.

“MOM!” Karai whipped around to see her pregnant daughter, Aniya, waddle around the corner followed by a few of her other kids and grand-kids.

“My darlings! What are you doing here?!” She hugged Aniya as she explained.

“Well we got a call from Peter saying that he talked to Doctor Strange, who said you were off world and he wasn’t sure when you’d be back. So some of us have been staying close by to wait for you. Then Doctor Strange called us as soon as Thor landed and we drove here right away to wait for you. Surprise!” Karai’s smile was huge.

“Surprise indeed. Oh! Jeffrey! Could you be a dear and pull Gabe’s meat out of the freezer to thaw please?” She asked her son who was currently on the ground playing with the wolf.

“Sure thing mamma!” He got up to head towards the kitchen and stopped and turned back around to get a closer look at the raven haired man standing behind Karai.

“Ma, is that Loki?” Loki had been standing behind her quietly, invisible the entire time, not wanting to ruin Karai’s family reunion. But he’d forgotten about Karai’s eyes, obviously her children would have them as well.

“Why yes it is. He’s been staying with me. I’m in charge of his rehab.” Karai turned around to look at Loki who made himself visible again. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” She smiled at him before turning back to her family.

“Everyone, into the living room. We have got to tell you about our journey.” Karai wore a bright smile and all of her kids and grand-kids piled into the living room, just like every time they got together.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, I woke up in Tony’s lab with wings sticking out of my back.”

Karai had been telling the whole story of the trip to Asgard, being careful to leave out certain parts, like when she and Loki admitted their feelings for one another. Karai’s family had been gathered around listening intently. There were only 5 of her children today but she couldn’t have been happier. It was her firstborn, Rose and her twin brother Jacob. Of course her daughter, Aniya, her son, Jeffrey, and her youngest daughter, Willow. They’d brought all of their children with them and their spouses. Willow had even brought her partner with her, whom Karai was happy to see. Karai couldn’t believe it when she saw Rose’s oldest son, Matthias. He looked just like his grandfather. 

“So mom, what happened to grandfather’s helm? Did you manage to take it off?” 

“No, I found that it hides when I change to my Midgardian form. And I’m beginning to get the hang of retracting these wings.”

“Can we see?!” Karai’s grandchildren asked excitedly, and the looks on her children's’ faces were the same. 

“Fine, everyone outside.” They all gathered around outside to see Karai’s new enhancements.

“Alright Karai, just go ahead and change. I’ll stand on guard as a quick extinguisher just in case.” Loki changed to his Jotun form and it warmed her heart to know that he was becoming so much more comfortable with himself, even around other people. He understood how she was a little nervous about changing for the first time since waking up on Midgard.

Karai closed her eyes and her skin turned to the lava and rock once again. She didn’t feel overpowered or out of control so that was a good sign that she had the reins on the flame inside of her. She opened her flame lit eyes and saw Loki standing with a smug expression and then her family with a look of awe. Not only did she now wear the crown, but after extending her wings and igniting, the wings ignited as well and looked like that of a Phoenix. 

“What?”

“Nothing...my queen.” Loki bowed to one knee, and raised his arm over his chest, like a knight or guard would do. Karai looked on as her family all did the same thing and that’s when it hit her.

Once she put on the crown, she finally assumed her place as, not only the mother, but the queen of her people.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No one seemed to question her and Loki’s relationship, Karai figured Rose and Jacob had already told them all about their kiss after Karai’s reawakening. This was probably why they all kept smiling and laughing at every word Loki said. He’d begun telling tales of his adventures with Thor throughout the Nine Realms as Karai and her daughter Rose and her son Jefferey prepared dinner for everyone. 

“Dinner’s ready!” There was a rumbling sound through Karai’s home as the whole family came piling into the kitchen. Out of habit, they formed a neat single file line and proceeded to load their plates and give Karai a kiss on the cheek with a quick ‘Thanks mom’ as they passed her. Traditions never changed. Everyone was sitting somewhere in the living room eating when a knock was heard at the door and then it opened.

“Honey, I’m home! And I brought a baby with me!” Wade entered the house, still in his deadpool get up, but this time he was carrying a very annoyed looking Peter.

“Look Wade, I know I gave you a lift here but you don’t have to carry me to repay me.”

“Wade and Peter!” The whole house shouted in unison and several people jumped up from their seats and ran over to the boys. They had officially been inducted into the family a while ago and had been to a couple family picnics even. Wade dropped Peter on the ground and held his hands on his face in a gasp. 

“Holy chimichangas! Look at all of the mini Karais’!”

“Chimichangas Wade?” Karai looked at him skeptically.

“Sorry, the writer doesn’t want me using any bad words around the kiddies.” Peter just rolled his eyes.

“Alright, who’s up for some twister!” Wade finally asked and Karai hoped he wouldn’t pull that trick where he broke his back on purpose to win the game, she did not want the little ones seeing that.


	3. It's just your friendly neighborhood...Deadpool?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an eventful visit from Wade Wilson, Karai and Loki go back about their normal routine when an unexpected visitor reveals some shocking news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is another slower chapter to start, but we get some juicy details towards the end. Also, more Spideypool because I think Wade Wilson and Peter Parker are the most adorable BFFs ever. Don't forget to like and comment! <3

Karai woke up the next morning with a head of soft brown curls in her face and a softly snoring Peter. After her children had left that night, Wade had decided they would all get drunk and play charades. Peter had begged for a taste and Karai having a soft spot for the boy's puppy dog eyes, she let him have a very small sip of hers. But this was before she had taken a sip herself yet. Once she had finally tasted it she gasped.

“Wade! Why the hell do you have Thor’s Asgardian mead?!”

“I swiped it at a party one night when he was sloshed. I wanted to surprise you so you could get drunk. Surprise!” Karai was fuming and Loki just continued casually sipping his glass, watching the fight.

“You idiot! Why did you let me give Peter some?!”

“Relax mononoke, the kid has an enhanced metabolism just like Cap. One sip should only give him a very small buzz if anything.” She was still mad but let it go, mumbling over the lip of her glass.

“You better be right or I’ll burn your dick off.”

Unfortunately for Deadpool, he was wrong. It seems that either Peter’s metabolism wasn’t as fast as Cap’s, or because this was Peter’s first time drinking, or a combination of the two, Peter had gotten full out drunk on one sip of mead. Karai had also questioned if it was psychological but left that alone. 

Peter had started dancing around singing his Spiderman theme song with Wade. She had tried to be the responsible adult and stay slightly sober for everyone, but after seeing Gabe try and join the boy’s silly dance, she decided ‘fuck it’ and downed another glass. Gabe would probably stop them from doing anything too stupid right? He certainly didn’t stop them from recording.

Loki had tried to lead Karai in an elaborate, traditional Asgardian dance, which ended with them both stumbling over each other's feet. They ended up just falling on the couch, Loki’s head on Karai’s chest as he told her how amazing he thought she was while she tenderly ran her fingers through his hair. Meanwhile, Wade and Peter were trying to re-enact the end scene from Dirty Dancing when Johnny lifts Baby in the air. Karai’s eyes went wide when Peter managed to actually lift Wade in the air, despite them both being inebriated. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Karai woke up with Peter in her arms asleep on the couch she was a bit confused until memories came back of Peter saying she was so comfortable and he couldn’t sleep without her and she had to hold back her laughter to not wake the sleeping boy.

She looked around the living room but it was empty, but if Peter was with her then Wade was with… Karai sniggered and carefully got off the couch to find her phone. She walked and checked Loki’s bedroom and found exactly what she had expected. Karai raised her phone to make sure she captured the image forever. Loki was lying in his bed spooning Wade Wilson.

Karai had gotten to work on making breakfast and most importantly coffee. She also had 2 glasses of water set out with aspirin. She had fed Gabe already, who had been sound asleep, stretched all the way out on her bed. Suddenly she heard a loud yell. Loki was awake.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!”

“I’d like to know the same thing, Joker. Did you do something naughty to me that the writer refuses to mention?” Loki was seething and soon Wade was running into the kitchen and hiding behind Karai.

“Mononoke dear, can you get your emo boyfriend please? He’s trying to kill me.” As if on cue, Loki came stomping into the kitchen, daggers in hand and fuming with anger.

“Karai darling, would you please hand over the red man? I wish to kill him today.”

“Not today Loki. Even if he will come back. I’m starting to think that dying so much is starting to affect his brain function.”

“Alright, but can I at least cut something off him?”

“No, I don’t want any more blood on my carpet today. And don’t say you’ll clean it, because you wouldn’t have to clean it if nothing happens.” Loki huffed in annoyance and Wade stuck his thumbs in his ears in a teasing motion. Loki tried to charge at him again.

“Gabe!” Karai called and Gabe instantly tackled Loki to the ground licking his face.

“Ah! Norns! Why me? Alright, alright! I yield! You win!” Gabe stopped licking his face and sat back on the ground and Loki started petting him.

“Do you guys have to be so loud in the morning?” Peter finally waltzed his way into the kitchen. He had a blanket wrapped around him like a cloak and looked terrible.

“Take two of those pills and drain that glass, Peter.” He sat down with a small ‘yes mama’ and Wade joined him, adrenaline from the morning now fading and pain raking through his head. Loki just walked over to Karai and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He placed a kiss on her cheek and then rested his head on her shoulder.

“Oh, so you like me now?” She teased

“What are you talking about, love?”

“I’m just saying you seemed pretty comfortable with Wade.” She held a mischievous grin as she lifted her phone up to show Loki the picture. His eyes went wide and he tried to snatch the phone away.

“Darling, give that to me.”

“Uh uh. Peter catch!” Karai tossed Peter the phone and he burst out laughing. Loki quickly teleported over and snatched the phone from him and then proceeded to delete the picture the way Karai had taught him. 

“There, here you go love.” He handed her back her phone and then went to get a cup of coffee. 

“That’s okay. I already sent it to the Avengers anyway.” Loki did an almost comedic spit take.

“You what?!” Her grin just grew larger as she set plates.

“Oh, you will pay for this, little one.”

“Bring it on, Mischief.”

___________________________________________________________________________

After watching all of the videos on their phones from the night before together, Peter and Wade finally left. Karai made sure to call aunt May and tell her what happened, including the little drinking incident. It turned out aunt May was completely understanding and she trusted Karai enough to not let anything happen to Peter. 

Karai plopped down on the couch next to Loki. She cuddled up next to him and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She’d missed this. The last few days had been so hectic it seemed.

“Your family is wonderful darling.” She hummed in agreement, her eyes closed.

“They really like you too.” Loki smiled and gently combed his fingers over her hair, but stopped when she yelped cause he had hit a snag.

“Sorry, love.”

“It’s okay. Just surprised me. I’m going to straighten it soon.”

“Are you sure? I rather like your curls.”

“You do?”

“Indeed. They’re so unique and fit your personality perfectly.” She tilted her head up and smiled at him.

“Though it does make me wonder if it is the same elsewhere.” He grinned mischievously and Karai hit his chest.

“Stop it you.”

“Make me, darling.” She glared up at him but closed her eyes back. He wasn’t worth the effort at the moment. 

“I’ve got a job next week. You can come along if you want.”

“I’m surprised you even thought I wouldn’t go with you.”

“Alright, Mischief. It’s in Wakanda. The great king, T’challa has hired me out. It’s a lot hotter than New York, so I suggest you find some clothes more suitable for the heat.”

“Very well. Now, sleep darling.” She snuggled further into Loki and fell right to sleep, as did he and they both enjoyed a nice afternoon nap. 

____________________________________________________________________________

“Are you sure she’s the enemy? I mean she seems rather nice to me.”

“You saw what she did on Sakaar and more importantly, Asgard. She fulfilled the oracle. She can bring nothing but destruction to anywhere she goes.”

“But she said she’s been living here a really long time. Wouldn’t she have done something by now?”

“Not if her true nature had lied dormant all this time. Loki saved her and brought her back to earth. She was supposed to stay on Asgard and die with it. Now he has unleashed an evil upon this earth that none of us have ever seen before.”

“Well shouldn’t we tell your friends, the Avengers about this?”

“No. They could not handle this. The Avengers love Karai as if she were family, she is family to Stark, the last of it. They would never believe me. This has to stay between the few of us. We take her out and rid the world of her evil and then we put Loki back into Asgardian custody to prevent him from causing any harm out of heartbreak.”

“Alright, I guess that sounds easy enough.”

“Well, not quite. She has her next of kin already to carry on her blood. We have to take them out as well in order to make sure her evil never returns.”

“Well that shouldn’t be too hard. How many are there?”

“.....53…”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few peaceful days went by, Karai and Loki falling into their little routine once again, but this time with a lot more contact, a hug here, a kiss there. Nothing went beyond that though and it seemed as if neither of them were in a rush. They were both content with taking things slow, they had millennia together after all. Karai was busy in the kitchen one day making Gabe something to eat while he and Loki sat in the living room playing a game. The god had recently decided to test the wolf’s intellect and had been using several children's games to test his intelligence. They appeared to be playing an Asgardian version of Go Fish.

“Any Bilgesnipe?” The wolf shook his head no. After Loki drew a card from the deck, Gabe slid one of his cards closer to Loki, asking him the silent question. Loki sighed as he handed over his card to the wolf.

“I’m starting to think you’re cheating.” Gabe just barked and sat back on his haunches. Their little domestic bubble was popped when a knock was heard on the door. The three of them looked at it in question at first. It couldn’t be Wade because he had a key and Peter knew where the spare was. They usually just walked in. After Karai saw that Gabe didn’t move or bark but just looked at the door curiously she decided to answer it.

“Brunhilde? What are you doing here? And how did you find my house?”

“I asked your Avenger friends. Ooo, is that venison I smell?” She pushed past Karai into the house.

“Valkyrie, lovely seeing you again, though I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. What brings you here?”

“Royal pain in the ass, wolf, nice to see you as well. And I’m here to begin training Karai in the way of the Valkyrie. Now where’s that delicious meat I smell?”

“I-I suppose I can make more.” Karai went back to the kitchen and went about cooking, Brunhilde taking a seat at her dining table.

“You know, when you said you were gonna train me, I didn’t expect it so soon.”

“Well, this is only a start. After today I’m going to be leaving for a few months, I thought it best to at least make sure you have basic knowledge and such. Make sure you can get to and from the Niflheim and fly properly.” Karai’s wings popped out at the mention of flying, apparently eager to feel the wind in them.

“Dammit! These things keep ripping holes in all of my shirts!” Brunhilde laughed and Loki chuckled from his place by the door.

“That’s normal. If you put a small and barely noticeable slit in your shirts, they won’t rip them. You know I’ve trained plenty of Valkyries in my time, there were once thousands of us in Asgard, but I’ve never even met a Muspel before you. I have to ask, have you noticed anything that you are sure that is not common to your knowledge?” Karai bit her lip and pointed at her wings.

“They catch on fire when I ignite.”

“....and burn?” Karai shook her head.

“The feathers go away and they kind of turn into fire wings I guess.” Brunhilde looked at her amazed.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Come on, you can do better than that!” Brunhilde yelled at her as they now battled it out in the sky. Flying had not been an easy feat, but she found hovering in one spot and fighting to be easier than soaring through the skies at the moment. Karai still struggled flying and fighting, finding focusing on the two actions at once to be rather difficult, especially at their current altitude. Brunhilde had reassured her that it would get easier the more she used her wings. After hours of training, Karai was finally allowed a break.

“Oh thank god!”

“I don’t understand why you’re thanking me, I haven't done anything,darling.” Loki smirked at Karai and she just glared at him.

“Up, Muspel, there is more to do.”

“Oh please don’t tell me I have more flying practice? I can’t even feel my wings anymore.”

“As much as I’d like to say yes, I don’t have the time. I have to teach you to get to and from Niflheim before I leave. I need to make sure you’ll be able to get there at any time while I’m gone.”

“Why? Where are you going anyway?”

“Hel, I fear something is not right. I need to find out why Hela needs to talk to me so badly. Time moves slow in Niflheim. I’m not exactly sure how long I’ll be gone but my best estimate is a few months. If you can get to and from there, you can receive help from your fellow Valkyrie at any time if the situation calls for it.”

“Alright, well what do I gotta do?”

“It’s simple really. Just make sure your wings are stretched and…*smack*.” Brunhilde smacked Karai across the face so hard that her soul flew from her body.

“HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HEL WAS THAT FOR?!” Karai held her cheek even in her now spirit form.

“This is how we teach young Valkyries to enter into the Niflheim. All you need is to show them once and they never forget it.” Karai looked at her puzzled and then decided to test that theory. She woke up on the ground of her backyard with Loki looking at her worriedly

“Are you alight, little one?”

“Fine, just practicing being a disembodied spirit. I’ll be back soon.” With that, Karai found she was able to enter back into Niflheim with no problem, just as Brunhilde had said.

“Alright, you made your point, but did you have to slap me?”

“No, that was just for fun. Now follow me.” The two made their way through the desolate place in Niflheim that was the paths between the afterlife.

“That over there is Valhalla. As a Valkyrie, you have the power to choose where a soul goes, but you can never enter Valhalla yourself.”

“Wait, what?!”

“We Valkyrie devote our afterlife to making sure that souls reach theirs. This is all we get. No punishment, no leisure. We forever serve the souls of the fallen.” Karai couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Hela neglected to tell her that she was giving up her chance to ever see her family again by taking her deal. After everyone she cared about died, she’d never see them again. Brunhilde remained silent for a moment to allow Karai to process it all.

“Judging by your reaction, I’m guessing you were not told of this?”

“No, Hela failed to mention that little detail.”

“I understand. It can be overwhelming. It’s why I’ve ran from this place for so long. Come, there’s only a little more to see.” Brunhilde only showed Karai the paths to get to both Valhalla and Hel before she announced the tour was over. They both woke up on the ground in Karai’s backyard. Karai couldn’t help chuckling when she woke up to Loki gently caressing her head and a pillow placed under her head.

“Welcome back, little one.”

“Oi! I couldn’t get a damn pillow? This ground is hard as fuck.”

Brunhilde told Karai about how her body would be vulnerable whenever she went to Niflheim and that she needed to make sure she was safe before doing it. 

“Are you sure Thor is going to be fine with running New Asgard on his own while you’re gone?”

“He’ll have to be. I have a duty that I’ve ran from for far too long. He has his comrades to help him. And I’ll technically still be there physically, I just won’t be responsive. If he gets too out of hand, you know where to find me.”

Brunhilde left and Karai and Loki went about their day, only it was much more silent than before. Karai had been lost in thought sense reawakening. She couldn’t shake the small feeling of uncertainty and dread. She’d given up ever seeing her family and loved ones in Valhalla, but she’d done it to spend her life with Loki. She didn’t regret choosing him of course, but she couldn’t help longing to see everyone in Valhalla, that was the whole purpose of an afterlife. Karai’s behavior obviously caught Loki’s attention, but it wasn’t until he noticed her staring at a blank wall instead of the book in her hand, did he finally confront her.

“Darling, are you alright? You seem a bit distant.” Karai snapped out of her trance, not realizing she had been staring at nothing.

“Huh? Oh yes, I’m fine. I’m just uh, going over details for the mission in a couple days.” She tried to give him a smile but he could tell that she was lying. Something was definitely bothering her. He tried to ignore the hurt he felt at her actually trying to lie to him. Whatever was bothering her had made her forget he knew when she lied.

“Darling, you told me yourself that you haven’t received any details.” He raised an eyebrow at her and Karai bit her lip. Eventually she sighed and stood up. She made her way over to Loki and plopped herself in his lap, enjoying the comfort that his embrace provided. He didn’t say anything, just wrapped his arms around her.

“...I just found out that Valkyrie can never enter Valhalla. They spend their afterlife only guiding the souls...I don’t regret coming back, but it’s shocking news” Loki didn’t know what to say at that moment. He knew they’d be separated one day, but he was sure they’d be rejoined in Valhalla. They didn’t have eternity together. A fear and protectiveness rose up in Loki. He couldn’t help feeling a need to keep her safe now. He pulled her even closer to him, if that was possible and he could feel the wetness of her tears on his tunic.

“Shh, it’s going to be alright, love. We’re going to figure this out.”


	4. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission in Wakanda turns out to be more than Karai thought. Can Loki hold back the overwhelming need to protect her?

Karai and Loki landed in Wakanda and were taken directly to the palace. Loki was slightly amazed at how well developed Wakandan technology was. He had yet to see any place on Midgard this advanced, not including Stark’s lab. That wasn’t a place, that was just Tony Stark and his toys.

“Karai! Our Wakandan Fire Flower.” T’Challa came to greet them and gave Karai a hug.

“T’Challa! I should let you know, I am now the Fire Phoenix.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you later. How have you been?”

“Aside from the reason I called you, everything has been wonderful. And who is this?” He had now turned his attention to Loki who was still in disguise from the plane ride. Karai looked at the guards surrounding them.

“I’d prefer telling you somewhere more private if you don’t mind.”

“Ah, yes. Then let us go inside. Shuri will be happy to see you.”

They proceeded inside the palace, only followed by Okoye down to Shuri’s labs and Loki’s eyes went wide as he looked out at the Vibranium mining system out the window. The sound of something falling caused them all to turn towards the source of the sound, which happened to be Shuri who had just dropped a tray and was standing in shock.

“Oh my god! Brother I’m going to kill you. Why didn’t you tell me that Karai was coming?!” She rushed over and crushed Karai in a hug.

“Because if I had told you it would not have been a surprise.” T’Challa chuckled and Shuri finally released Karai and noticed Loki.

“Who is this, Karai? One of your many sons you have told us about?” Karai laughed a little.

“Uhh, no.” Karai looked around to make sure they were the only ones in the lab before nodding to Loki who dropped his illusions and the three people visibly gasped.

“I present Loki Laufeyson. He is currently under my watch during his rehabilitation and is inclined to go where I go.” 

“Are you sure he is safe?” Okoye said as her eyes narrowed at Loki and she gripped her spear tighter.

“I can assure you, I am of no danger to you all. Had it not been for Karai, I wouldn’t even be here right now.” His gaze remained steady and Okoye still seemed suspicious but relaxed a very little bit and T’Challa spoke up.

“Well I’m sure if he is under your watch then there is nothing to worry about. Now if you’ll follow me, there is much to discuss.” T’Challa led the way over to a table in the room where a hologram projection of a man in a combat suit appeared and Karai’s eyes went wide. She knew him all too well.

“Why is Killmonger my target?” The three Wakandans looked confused.

“You know this man?” 

“Erik Stevens, AKA: Killmonger. U.S. Navy SEAL. Put a notch on his body for every successful kill...He hasn’t had one missed target yet. He beat my rap sheet out faster than I thought possible. He’s worse than a hitman or mercenary. Only time I’ve seen a killing machine like this is the Winter Soldier. Only difference is, this guy isn’t brainwashed.” Karai, having served in the SEALs at a point, still kept tabs on them. And when Killmonger showed up on her records, she made sure to keep an eye on him.

“Well, he has been here for the last several months.” T’Challa went on to explain everything that had happened in Wakanda after Killmonger showed up and his desire to still heal him and make amends after everything.

“So, what happened to him now?” That is when Shuri jumped in.

“He began experiencing symptoms of PTSD after we reawakened him. We were going to begin treating him for it. One of our doctors went in to give him his breakfast for the morning and he lashed out. We found out later that he had been purging his system of the sedatives we had him on to keep him docile at the moment. He escaped the palace. We did manage to place an undetectable tracking device on him before awakening him.” A holographic landscape popped up and a tiny red blinking dot on it.

“We’ve tracked him here. I’d go after him myself but I am desperately needed here right now and it just so happens that you have a bit of a specialty in this.” T’Challa grinned and Karai \raised an eyebrow.

“The area he has been hiding in happens to be where a once active volcano was. The mountain itself has remained dormant for over a century now but there is a large navigation of tunnels underneath which are accessible from the surface.”

“You want me to go down in lava mines and retrieve him before he can either die or attempt to reactivate the volcano?”

“Precisely!”

“Well that doesn’t seem too hard but there’s only one problem, he can’t take the heat.” Karai gestured to Loki who had been quietly observing up until now.

“It’s true. Extreme heat such as a volcano may potentially kill me.” A loud squeal was heard from Shuri.

“Yes! I get to test it after all!” She rushed off into the lab and returned with some kind of grey suit.

“This is one of my latest designs. A suit equipped to withstand extreme temperatures of hot or cold. It completely shields you from all weather conditions while keeping your internal body temperature regulated. I call it Dri-fit.” T’Challa rolled his eyes and Karai sniggered. Shuri handed the suit to Loki.

“This should keep you cool while inside the volcanic tunnels. It was originally designed for T’Challa but since he is being a wimp and doesn’t want to miss date night with Na-..” T’Challa placed his hand over Shuri’s mouth to shut her up. 

“That is enough dear sister. We don’t want to keep them stuck here.” He moved his hand and Shuri glared at him before sliding a bracelet of tiny orbs on Karai that she was very familiar with.

“This should be everything you will need. If something happens just give me a call and I will send in the jet. Good luck!” Karai nodded and with that they left.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How’s the suit holding up?” 

“Rather well actually. I can’t feel that I’m even wearing it.” The suit was designed to be worn underneath Loki’s clothing and the mask part of it turned completely translucent once he slid it on. No one would know he was wearing it unless he told them.

“This heat doesn’t cause your true form to come out?”

“Nope. The heat I can withstand no problem. Now if I touch fire or magma or even some of these blistering rocks, then yes. What about you? How does the cold affect you?” 

Karai and Loki were traversing the hot caverns underneath the dormant volcano in search of Killmonger. Loki seemed to be doing just fine so far in his suit. Though the suit’s strength was going to be tested as they had to pass by the original heart of the volcano to get to the other cooler side where Killmonger was supposedly hiding. How he had gotten there, no one was sure. Only possible way was if he had somehow found another surface entrance that didn’t seem to be visible to Karai on her map.

“I’m not entirely sure yet. I haven’t tested it much. The only times I’ve forcefully turned Jotun is when holding the Casket of Ancient Winters, or when touched by other Jotun.” 

“Well there’s no time like the present to learn something new about yourself.” She smiled at him over her shoulder and he gladly returned it.

“Very true, little one.” 

“Why do you keep calling me ‘little one’? It’s not like I’m that sma-.. WOAH!” Karai stopped right at the edge of a cliff that dropped right down into lava. Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the edge and into his arms as they looked down at the river of lava moving below them.

“This would probably be a bad time to say ‘Is it hot in here, or is it just me’, right?.” Karai grinned and Loki rolled his eyes at her.

“I wonder what happened to the rest of the path?” At that moment a spout of lava shot up.

“Oh. I guess that’s how.”

“Nothing to worry about darling, I was not the head of the mages on Asgard for nothing.” Loki’s arm was still firmly wrapped around her waist and next thing she knew, they were on the other side of the lava revine.

“You know, I could’ve come up with a million other ways to get across.” Karai pouted and Loki chuckled and kissed the crease in her forehead.

“Of course you could have.” The sarcasm in Loki’s words made Karai glare at him.

“Whatever, lets keep going. It shouldn’t be much further.”

Karai was right. The map appearing out of her wrist showed they were nearly on top of Killmonger. The darkness that surrounded them at the beginning of the tunnels had made Karai activate her infrared eye sight. Karai was searching all around them for Killmonger’s heat signature but it was proving to be a bit difficult with the already hot cave. Karai held up her hand and allowed a small flame to dance in her palm. She held her hand out like a torch and that’s when she saw him. Killmonger was laid in a corner on the ground unmoving.

“Shit. You better not be dead.” Karai slowly approached him and carefully used her other hand to check his pulse. Loki was standing by ready to move at any time.

“It feels like he’s got a very slow heartbeat, but how?” 

Suddenly Killmonger grabbed her arm and started to attack. He quickly pulled her arm behind her back, twisting it almost to the point of breaking and Karai hissed in pain. Loki stepped in and put his arm around the man’s neck and pulled him away from Karai. She shook the tension out of her arm, still balancing the flame in her other hand as Loki stood holding a dagger to Killmonger’s neck already.

“I suggest you never try anything like that again, or I won’t hesitate to sever your limbs from your body one by one.” Loki’s words were not a threat but more like a promise.

“It’s alright Loki. I forgot who we were dealing with for a minute. I haven’t seen Sergeant Thomas’ technique executed so well in years.” She squatted down in front of him while Loki magically bound his hands and feet.

“What you know ‘bout Sergeant Thomas, lady?” Karai smirked.

“A lot I would think, Erik. I trained the man.” Killmonger’s eyes went wide. 

“Naw, naw lady. You lyin’. The person that trained him is dead. That’s how shit run wit the SEALs. And even if she wasn’t dead, she would be old as hell right now. So you can keep yo little fire magic tricks and shit to yoself. Just take me back to T’Challa and take this other Houdini with you.” Karai raised an eyebrow and just shook her head.

“Oh Erik, still so close minded. You find out that Wakanda exists, yet you can’t believe that I’m Captain Karen Warrenson of the U.S. Navy SEALs? That I was active during the years of 1974 - 1995? That I trained your commanders, Sergeant William A. Thomas, and Colonel Vincent Maroon?” Karai was still smiling brightly and Killmonger seemed to be just growing more irritated.

“Shuddup lady! Aight! You don’t know nothing. You could be some kind of hacker or stalker or some shit for all I know. But nothing you say will convince me of who you are.” Karai narrowed her eyes at him.

“Alrighty then, Loki, unbind him.” Loki’s eyes went wide as Karai stood up.

“Uh, are you sure about that? You don’t have to prove anything to him, love.” Loki seemed skeptical. He knew what Karai was capable of, but he wasn’t so sure he could hold himself back if the puny mortal tried anything. Karai just smiled as she took a bandanna out of her pocket and wrapped it around her eyes.

“Positive. Just make sure that he doesn’t try to run.” Loki sighed.

“Very well.” He summoned a torch to keep the room lit enough for himself to see. Killmonger slid on a bandanna as well and the match began. Killmonger was circling her and Karai was just standing in place, calm as ever. Loki looked at them bored.

“What am I watching? Some weird Midgardian dance? And why is this even necessary?” Karai laughed as Killmonger tried to attack but she dodged him easily.

“Not a dance. Old SEALs training method to heighten our senses. And because I love being right.” 

Killmonger tried to attack again and this time she grabbed him and used the force of the impact to flip him onto his back. He landed with a loud thud and then got back up immediately. He tried going for her legs. He aimed a punch at the back of her knee so hard that she started to lose balance, then he elbowed her hard in the back, causing Karai to hiss in pain. Loki’s knuckles were white as he clenched his fists, willing himself not to interfere.

Luckily he didn’t have to as Karai grabbed a hold of Killmonger's arm and dislocated his shoulder. She wrapped it around his neck as she flipped him onto his stomach and placed a foot on his back to add more pressure. Killmonger struggled but he managed to use his other hand to grab her foot, he threw her off balance enough to get his arm from around his neck. He used one of his legs to kick out her other foot from underneath her. He managed to get her locked in an arm bar and was about to snap her arm. Karai used her other hand and hit his knee hard enough to make him loosen his grip enough for her to get out of the hold. She rolled out of his lock and then lunged forward. She grabbed his dislocated arm again and pulled him hard to get him off the floor. He only sat up but kicked out her knees behind her. Karai used that to her advantage and easily slid behind him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and struggled to get her arm underneath his chin. She punched him in the face and the distraction allowed her to put him in a full choke hold. He fell back on her trying to knock her out as he used his one arm to try and get out of her hold, but Karai held on for dear life as Killmonger’s eyesight started to fade to black from lack of oxygen and she soon felt him go limp as he passed out. She released him and stood up, taking off her bandanna and his.

“Is he alright?” Loki had finally relaxed now that it seemed to be over.

“Yeah. Just unconscious. I’ll wake him up and then we can leave.”

“Finally!” Loki said dramatically.

“Oh quit being such a baby, Mischief.” Karai grabbed Killmonger's dislocated arm and with one quick move, popped his shoulder back in place. His eyes popped open as he screamed in pain.

“Good morning sleeping beauty.” He was breathing hard and clutching his shoulder as he flexed his fingers.

“The hell you do that for?”

“To wake you up. Neither of us feel like carrying you.”

“No, I mean why you pop my shoulder back in? You ain’t have to, even to wake me up.”

“Well because I had fun sparing. Consider it a ‘thank you’ for taking me back down memory lane. Of course I could’ve just shown you these.” Karai reached in her pocket and tossed Killmonger her old, beaten up and worn out dog tags. She took them on every assignment, not really sure why. He stared intently at the tags before finally speaking.

“Listen, about all that ‘Liar’ shit, I ain’t really mean it.” Karai rolled her eyes.

“Sure. You knew the whole time.” Karai chuckled and Killmonger stood and tried to hand her back the dog tags.

“You know what, you can keep them. I have no use for them really. If I was ever found with those on, the government would just deny it anyway. Karen Warrenson  _ “died” _ over 20 years ago. Think of them as a reminder...from a friend. You can always get a second chance at life.” He was taken aback at first but slowly nodded and then put them into his pocket and held his hands behind his back so Loki could bind them. Loki vanished the torch and Karai lit a flame in her hand again. Killmongers eyes just went wide.

“Man, what the hell are you two?” They looked at each other and Karai shrugged before responding.

“Aliens I guess.” Killmonger raised an eyebrow and Karai walked away to look around for another exit.

“Aight, so you is supposed to be the real Loki? The one who led that fuckin’ alien invasion?”

“Yes, now shut up!” 

“Naw man, I believe who she is, but you gon have to prove that shit.” Karai chuckled and Loki’s irritation grew.

“I have nothing to prove to you, you mewling quim. You should be thankful I haven’t kept my promise for you laying a hand on her. Now, if you value your limbs I suggest that you shut your mouth or I’ll-” Loki was cut off by a very excited Karai.

“Found it!” A wall of dirt crumbled as Karai hit the weak spot and opened to the hidden tunnel that Killmonger had used to get in there.

“I feel like Indiana Jones! Come on you two! And Loki, stop threatening the boy. You’re just wasting your breath. We both know if you wanted him to suffer, he would be by now.” Killmonger’s eyes went wide and Loki gave him a wicked grin.

“Quite right, love. Lead the way.” He pushed a slightly more nervous Killmonger out the exit that Karai had discovered.


	5. Kiss me once, kiss me twice, then kiss me once again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karai and Loki enjoy an extended stay in Wakanda together, but return home to find out not all is how they left it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is my first attempt at smut. It may be a little cringe worthy. I've placed warnings at the beginning and end of the smut for anyone who would like to skip it. Hope you guys enjoy! This is our final domestic Loki and Karai chapter, from here on out, the drama begins.

After dropping Killmonger back off with T’Challa and Shuri, Loki and Karai stayed in Wakanda for another three days per King T’Challa’s insistence. They were given grand tours of Wakanda, and Karai even managed to get a picture of Loki, still in his leather pants and more casual tunic, on the back of a rhinoceros. He looked so majestic.

“Looks like someone isn’t obsessing over their own mortality anymore.” Karai smiled at him.

“No. I think I’m gonna be okay. I’ve got a lot of time to prepare for it, and maybe we’ll figure out something in the end, or not. Either way, I’m enjoying everyone while I can.” He smiled over at her. The whole thing had him worried as well, but if they played their cards right, they had a lot of time together and he could live with that.

“Wise words, little one.” 

“For fucks sake, I’m not little! You’re just a giant!” Her response caused Loki to chuckle and she flipped him off. The day ended with them watching the sunset from the balcony of Karai’s room, the red and orange painting the sky as the last glows of the sun cascaded over the land.

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***Warning Smut Begins***

Karai woke up early the next morning, her head on Loki’s bare chest. Her cheeks reddened as she remembered the night before. 

Loki had carried Karai back inside of her room and laid her down on the bed, their lips locked together in passion, his hands dipping underneath her shirt. Loki’s shirt had already come off and Karai kept running her hands up his bare chest. He broke the kiss and started trailing his lips down her neck and collar bone. He would get to officially claim her as his and he as hers. Unfortunately he abruptly halted his movements when he heard the soft sounds of snoring. He hadn’t realized Karai’s breathing had evened out or that she had stopped moving, but when he looked up, Karai was sound asleep. He let out a sigh, his head falling to the crook of her neck. Nonetheless, he smiled in amusement and placed a gentle kiss on her neck. A flick of his wrist and she was changed into her usual pajama shorts and baggy t-shirt, and himself into a pair of pajama bottoms. He slid them both under the covers and pulled her against his chest. He placed a soft kiss on her head before whispering.

“Good night, love.”

Karai snapped out of her trance as she felt Loki stir a little beneath her. She had been tracing patterns on his chest unconsciously. 

“Darling, believe it or not, I can actually feel you over thinking.” He cracked his eyes open and she smiled up at him. He tenderly ran a finger over her cheek.

“What are you thinking so hard about, little one?” She let out a small chuckle, he knew her too well.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep last night. I honestly don’t know how that happened.” He just smiled at her, still caressing her cheek.

“Nothing to apologize for, darling. We both had a long day yesterday, it was only natural that you would be exhausted.”

“Yeah but, I was kind of looking forward to it, and then you started kissing me and I got all relaxed and...I guess I got too relaxed and fell asleep.” Karai sighed but a smirk grew across Loki’s face and whispered in her ear.

“Well, you are wide awake now. How about we pick up where we left off last night?” He nipped her ear and placed a kiss on her neck. The raspines of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

“What do you say, Karai?” Their lips were nothing more than a hair's width away and Karai’s eyes closed as she said the final word that made Loki finish closing the distance between them.

“Yes.” Their lips touched and it was like a fire ignited between them, each kiss growing hungrier. They moved quickly, ridding each other of all remaining clothing, like they were both in need of something and were finding it in one another. 

Loki trailed kisses down her neck to her collarbone, and then finally down to her breasts. He took his time, giving each of her nipples equal attention. Karai couldn’t hold back the moans slipping past her lips, her fingers curled in his raven hair. Her warm caramel skin seemed to glow in the early morning sun and Loki was awestruck at her beauty. He found himself worshipping her body, his own little warrior princess. His queen. He adored her stretch marks on her stomach and legs and her scars from centuries of battles, her imperfections making her to be even more beautiful in his eyes.

His hand trailed down to the dark patch of curls between her legs. He had been sucking another mark on her neck when he groaned at the feeling of how wet she was. He dipped his finger between her lower lips and then swiped it across her clit, causing her hips to jolt and she let out a high pitched moan. Loki grinned before slowly sinking his finger inside her, giving it a couple pumps before adding another finger. Karai was a mess and Loki’s fingers worked her right to the edge and then slipped away before she could tip over and she let out a groan of frustration.

“Lokiii. Please! I can’t take it.” 

“Mmm, what is it you want, love?” He wasn’t sure what it was, but the sound of her begging was causing his cock to swell even more. He ran the tip through her wetness, Karai gasped and the smirk on Loki’s face grew.

“Come on Karai, tell me what you want. You know I’ll give it to you, love.” he punctuated the end by nipping at her ear and she groaned.

“Fuck, Loki please! Take me! Make love to me, I’m all yours! Please.”

“As you wish, darling.” 

With one smooth thrust, Loki entered her and they both let out a moan at finally being together. They seemed to fit so perfectly together and they both knew that neither of them wanted this to ever end. Loki gave Karai a minute to adjust to his size before he felt her walls give a light squeeze, his invitation to move. He started a slow pace that had Karai squirming beneath him and begging for more, for him to move faster. Of course he obliged and soon they were both teetering on the edge of pleasure. Loki could feel Karai drawing close and he wasn’t far behind, he reached his hand down and rubbed tight circles around her clit.

“Cum for me, love” It only took those few words and Karai threw her head back in euphoria. She screamed Loki’s name as she clamped down around his cock. He let out a strangled moan as he came in spurts, his seed coating her walls.

His head fell into the crook of her neck as they both laid there catching their breaths. Loki looked up at Karai when he felt her gently brushing his hair away from his face. She had a bright smile on her face and Loki found it contagious. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips, all the hunger from a few moments ago now gone and replaced by nothing but love and adoration.

“I love you, Loki.”

“And I, you, Karai.” They shared one more kiss before Loki slipped out of her and laid down beside her. He stretched out on his back and Karai pulled the covers back over them before laying her head back on his chest. Karai tracing patterns on his chest again and Loki playing with her hair.

“Is it supposed to feel like this?”

“Like what, Mischief?”

“Like we’re the only two people in the world right now.”

“Mmm, I don’t know. I’ve never experienced this feeling of peace and contentment. I like it though. You’re the only person that’s ever been able to make me forget all my worries just by holding me.” Loki smiled down at her.

“You’re the only person that’s ever been able to make me want to be a better version of myself.” She looked up at him and kissed him.

“Mmm, rest darling, I’m not finished with you yet.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***End of Smut** *****

Later that day, Karai had a chance to spend some time with Shuri talking about just girl things (of course Shuri was deeply curious about her relationship with Lokii). Okoye had been glad to see Karai stop by the training grounds for the guards for a run through on drills. Shuri even said that Erik had calmed down quite a bit and seemed to be complying more since they brought him back. Shuri almost did not let Karai leave, especially after finding out about her adventures to Asgard and her new wings, but finally did after Karai promised they would come visit again soon. T’Challa had surprisingly even enjoyed Loki’s company. Apparently Loki’s vast knowledge of politics proved to be extremely helpful.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They arrived in front of Karai’s house in a taxi that Karai insisted they take because she wanted to go the scenic route.

“Ah! So good to be home.” Karai got out of the taxi stretching and heading towards the front door.

“We could have been here a lot sooner, but you wouldn’t let me teleport us.” Loki had been a bit grumpy about having to ride in the taxi home.

“Oh stop. It was a lovely ride. Plus what could have possibly been so important that you had to get here an hour sooner?” 

“This.” 

As soon as they were inside the door, Loki closed it and pushed Karai back against it. She was about to say something when his lips crashed against hers. Having been caught off guard at first, but she quickly returned the kiss with the same enthusiasm. She felt his tongue nudge her bottom lip, asking for entrance, which she granted. Their tongues battled for dominance, Karai eventually relenting and letting Loki take charge. He pulled away for a second when their lungs began to burn. He gripped her leg lightly and she eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed her against the door more firmly. Their lips locked together again, Karai’s hands buried in Loki’s hair as his hands tightly gripped her thighs. They weren’t paying attention as Gabe came over to greet them but then whined and sat down, waiting to be noticed. Their attention was grabbed when a small stuttering voice called them.

“U-Uh, Ms.Karai?” Karai’s eyes flew open as she noticed teenage boy who stood before them red as a tomato. She pulled away from Loki who looked annoyed but let her down. 

“Peter! Sorry, I forgot you were still here.”

“N-No, I-I didn’t mean to interrupt. I-It’s just that someone is here to see you. I wasn't going to let her in at first but I recognized her and she said she desperately needed to talk to you.” Karai looked confused and followed Peter into the living room where Karai’s daughter in law sat. Karai’s face lit up as she walked over and gave her a hug.

“Luana! Isn’t this a nice surprise? Though I am shocked that Jacob sent you on your own. Where is that boy?” Karai finally got a good look at Luana’s face and realized she was in tears. 

“Luana what’s wrong?”

“T-They’re gone. They’re just gone.”

“Calm down, sweetheart. Who’s gone?”

“Jacob and Izzy. They’re missing. I haven’t seen them in 4 days. I tried calling up the family, some said that they haven’t seen him since they left here and others didn’t answer no matter how many times I called. I went to visit Jacari and then Rose as well. They’re both missing and so are their children. No one has seen them in days. They’re all gone! It’s like they’ve vanished.”

Karai’s face went pale. Had one person disappeared then she could have been a bit more calm. But 3 of her children were missing along with 9 of her grandchildren. The sound of Loki’s voice sounded distant as everything around Karai slowly turned to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff! And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger!  
> What's gonna happen next?! Ahhh! I'm so excited! Don't forget to comment. I love hearing your feedback!


	6. Home is where the heart is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karai struggles with the devastating news of her family slowly disappearing. Loki stays by her side, being the voice of reason through it all, but will they be prepared to find out what evil is lurking behind the scenes and causing such anguish?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer. Yay! Probably the first longer chapter of many to come.

Karai woke up on the couch with Loki looking at her worried. His expression visibly relaxed when her eyes opened.

“Darling are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine. What happened? All I remember is-” Karai gasped and sat up.

“They’re missing! My babies are missing!” Karai tried getting up but Loki held her down.

“Karai, you need to calm down and take it easy for a moment.” Karai’s eyes lit in flames and her wings popped out and Loki visibly flinched.

“Don’t tell me to calm down and rest! That’s my family out there! I’m not resting until they’re home!” Karai was seething and starting to heat up, but Loki didn’t back away. He cooled his hands before placing them on her shoulders and watched as steam rose up from the contact. 

“Darling, I want to get out there and help you start searching as well right now, but you have to calm down for a moment so you can set up a strategic plan. Someone is obviously targeting you all. The best option right now is to get everyone else to safety before anything happens. Then, from there we can come up with a plan for finding everyone.” Karai started to calm down some and relented.

“I hate it when you’re right.” Loki grinned

“You’d burn down the city if I weren’t here to stop you, love.” She glared at him but didn’t bother to argue, knowing he was right. He placed a cool kiss on Karai’s forehead and she closed her eyes, relaxing even more. She opened her eyes again and they were back to hazel. She gave Loki a quick peck on the lips before standing up and started pacing the floor, coming up with a plan.

“Alright, so Loki is right. First thing that needs to be done is everyone needs to get to safety. Unfortunately, my house is not big enough to fit the family… but I do know someone who should have enough space to accommodate us all without a problem, I’ll just have to call in a favor. There’s about 64 of us left including in-laws and you, Lokes. I just hope there’s enough room to-” Luana’s phone rang, cutting off Karai.

“Hello?...What?! How?.. When?! …...O-Okay. I’ll tell her.” Luana hung up and gulped.

“That was Aniya. She said that Jeffrey's wife called her and so did Mason’s partner. Neither of them have seen Jeffrey, Mason, or the children in 2 days…” Karai stood there quietly. Too quiet. Suddenly her hair and eyes lit up and her wings fluttered a little behind her but before Loki could come over to try and calm her down, she held up a hand stopping him.

“I’m in control, just tense right now. Luana, start making calls and tell everyone to get here ASAP. Peter..” She turned to the young boy who had stayed around for support. Karai was like family to him and he wanted to be helpful in any possible way.

“Yeah?”

“Get Stark on the phone.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How many?!”

“58 now.”

“Kar, that isn’t family. That’s a small party.”

“Look Tony, I don’t have time for games! If you don’t have the room just say so!”

“Woah! Easy hot stuff. I was just trying to lighten the mood a little. We have plenty of room, you and your family are more than welcome. I’ll even let Reindeer games come along. I just can’t make promises that we’ll let you guys leave.” Karai actually chuckled at the last part.

“Thanks Tony. I really appreciate it. I’ve got everyone driving in to New York now. We should be up there in 2 days.”

“No problem, hot head. Need anything else just let me know. Oh, and tell the kid that I’ll have Happy pick him up too if he wants to come.”

“K. Thanks and I will, Bye.” Karai hung up the phone and handed it back to Peter. She told him what Tony had said about coming to the compound and Karai chuckled a little as Peter did a fist pump.

“I’m going to set up another spare room for Luana. I’ll be right back.” Before she could leave, Loki grabbed her arm.

“Karai, are you sure you should be doing that right now? Why not take a moment?” Karai gave him a small smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. She took his hand on her arm into both of her hands.

“I wish I could, Lokes. But right now, I have to keep moving. If I stay still too long, it’s going to hit me like a train. And I won’t be able to be there for my family when they need me most. Right now, I need to fight through this. They don’t need the nurturer in me, they need the warrior. And I refuse to let them down. What I need from you more than anything, is your support and love.” Loki brushed his hand across her cheek and she leaned in to his touch.

“Then I shall make it my duty to stand by your side through all of this, no matter what. And I can assure you that whoever has done this will have to suffer my wrath as well. You are mine, and those who hurt what’s mine will suffer dearly for it.”

__________________________________________________________________

Two days went by faster than expected. The first night, Loki and Karai stayed in the living room all night watching different shows. Karai laid her head on Loki’s chest and he gently ran his fingers through her hair. He had noticed the sides had started growing back already and he was happy. Though Loki felt that Karai looked beautiful no matter what, she was even more radiant when she felt good about herself. Neither of them slept that night. Occasionally they would discuss different things that needed to be packed the next day but aside from that, it was silent.

The next day, however, was a little more hectic. Karai spent the whole day preparing to leave. She had dropped off her convertible with Aunt May, who was more than happy to watch it and Karai told her to use it as much as she likes. Karai didn’t think she’d need it, they weren’t going to be gone _that_ long. Then her and Loki had to chase Gabe around the house to try and pack up his toys, blankets, etc., which he kept stealing back out of the suitcase.

“Gabe! Get back here!” Karai yelled as she chased the wolf through the house as he ran with his blanket. He didn’t act like this whenever they were going out of town, she felt kinda bad for him. He really didn’t want to leave his home. But if Karai’s children were in danger, that meant Gabe was too. 

“Loki, he’s coming your way!” Loki saw the wolf barreling down the hallway and swiped the blanket out of the wolf’s mouth as he ran past and vanished it into a dimensional pocket.

“I’ve had enough of these games.” He then proceeded to vanish the rest of Gabe’s belongings into the pocket as well.

“There, now you can stop this foolishness.” Gabe looked up at him and lowered his ears and laid down on the floor, looking up at Loki sadly. Loki couldn’t help it as his resolve crumpled at the sight and knelt down beside the large animal, placing a hand on his head.

“I know you don’t want to leave, my friend, but we have to ensure your safety as well. I hardly think you’ll have time to miss home with all of your Avenger friends there to keep you busy?” Gabe’s head perked up at the mention of the Avengers. He sat up and licked Loki’s face, causing the god to playfully groan in disgust. Karai finally caught up to them and looked at the two questioningly.

“If you two lovebirds are done, I could use a little help finishing packing.” 

“How much more is there? Are you trying to take the entire house?” He said it as a joke but Karai clearly wasn’t in the mood as she glared at him.

“Shuddup, Mischief. I would if I could. I’m used to having a set amount of days for my missions. I don’t know how long this is going to take. I want to make sure I’m prepared for everything.” He followed her as she walked back into her room where her entire arsenal of weapons was out and in the process of being packed.

“Darling, we’re going to a highly secured facility filled with Midgard’s strongest defenders. Are you really going to need all of this?” He said as he looked around the room that now had weapons scattered about it ranging from small glocks, to M-93 sniper rifles, daggers and shuriken of different kinds and several swords of different designs. Karai wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a bit self conscious.

“This is just my domestic stuff that I keep on hand for missions. Tony and Shuri have all the high tech stuff. I need to be prepared for anything. What if whoever is doing this knows how to block out my abilities?” Loki realized her anxiousness about the whole situation and came over and wrapped his arms around her and she didn’t hesitate to melt into his embrace.

“Karai, understand that you have probably strived for centuries to make sure that you were never caught off guard by something like this, but you have to trust me when I say there is nothing to worry about. This will all be over soon and we’ll be back in no time. And you aren’t fighting alone, remember? I’m right here and you have a team of formidable warriors ready to stand by your side. And if there is ever anything you need, I can get it for you in the blink of an eye.” Karai sighed, her head laid against his chest.

“I know...Fine, I’ll leave behind some of it, but I’m taking at least one of everything.” Loki chuckled at her compromise.

“Fair enough, little one.” Karai grumbled her distaste for the nickname again but didn’t bother to pull away from his embrace quite yet.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was dark outside, around 2am. Loki and Karai had been laying on the hood of her truck, waiting for any sign of people starting to show up. Luana was still inside the house probably asleep and so was Gabe.

“What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen happen in space, Mischief?”

“Hmm, possibly the Convergence. When all of the realms align. For those few moments, all the realms find a balance and can exist in harmony.” Loki turned his head to see Karai staring at him with amazement.

“I never thought of it that way. It would be nice if the people of those realms could one day exist in harmony as well.” Loki turned and faced her, hand gently caressing her cheek.

“Where there is peace, there is always chaos. One cannot live without the other, but if we can somehow come to an understanding for one another and accept the differences that divide us all, we can hope that one day, we can all live amongst each other in harmony.” Karai smiled and reached up to where he was stroking her cheek and took his hand in hers.

“You speak as if it is from experience.”

“Well I am over a thousand years old, darling. Diplomacy, war strategies, philosophy, etc. those were just a few things that I studied day and night. Hoping one day I’d get a chance to prove to Odin what a good ruler I’d be.” He stared back up at the sky, looking lost in thought. Karai took his hand in hers, drawing his attention back to her.

“Loki, you are probably the most qualified person to rule a realm that I know. Hell, I’m sure if Asgard had known it was you actually ruling all that time, they would have chosen you without a doubt.” Loki didn’t say anything, just squeezed her hand as a silent ‘thank you’. She smiled at him, but it slowly grew to a teasing smirk.

“Even if you are still a baby.” Loki’s face fell and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“I told you not to call me that.” Karai started laughing at how serious he was.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop…. Just remember to respect your elders.” Karai had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. Loki had had enough. He rolled slightly on top of her and pinned both of her hands with beside her head and Karai yelped a bit in surprise.

“Maybe I should teach you a thing or two about respect.” Her giggles ceased and as she stared into Loki’s eyes, the atmosphere around them changed and she smirked back at him confidently.

“Hmm, I think I’d like that lesson, Professor.” Loki chuckled as he leaned down.

“Class is in session, little one.” With that he connected their lips. It started gentle and soon turned more feverish. Loki nipped her bottom lip and Karai tried to wiggle her hands free, but Loki just tightened his grip a little more. He trailed kisses down her chin to her neck. He kissed a certain spot on her neck and Karai let out a soft moan. She could feel him grinning against her skin and he nipped and kissed at her juncture between her neck and shoulder until he had Karai squirming beneath him and panting slightly. Loki finally pulled away from her when he was satisfied with his work. 

“There, that should suffice for now.” A purple hickey now sat on Karai’s neck, proud and visible for everyone to see.

“I’ll get you for that later, but for now, please just let my hands go.”

“Ooo. I think I rather like the sound of you begging. But very well. I think you’ve learned your lesson for today.” He let go of her wrists and she quickly grabbed his collar and pulled Loki back down to her and smirked.

“I haven’t learned a damn thing.” With that she crashed her lips against his again. The kiss was lust filled, all teeth and tongue. Loki’s leg placed between hers and his hands gripped her hips. Karai felt like those teenagers she’s seen on tv. Fooling around on top of a car, underneath the night sky... Then it just had to be ruined.

“That is just gross. Bad Karai! We don’t do that on cars, we drive those. We do that on tables and couches and just about everything else _Except_ cars.” Karai and Loki rolled their eyes as they pulled away from each other and got off the hood of the truck.

“What are you doing here Wade?”

“First of all, I feel very unwanted right now and I just have to say that I am hurt. I came all the way here in the middle of the night because I found out that my Kare Bear is leaving and she never was going to say goodbye.” He held his hand on his heart dramatically and Karai just rolled her eyes again.

“I appreciate the effort, Wade. But I’m only going to stay with the Avengers.”

“WHAT?! You get to go live with Captain Ass-merica and his own version of the X-Men while I have to stay here? Well, at least I still got the kid.” Karai grimaced as she told Wade that Peter was coming too.

“I’m gonna be stuck here all alone while you guys are living it up with the Avengers?! How is that fair?! WHAT THE FUCK, WRITER?!” Karai and Loki looked at Wade quizzically as he proceeded to shout at the sky and make several rude and inappropriate gestures.

“Wade stop yelling and flipping off the sky and go say bye to Gabe.”

“KK!” And with that, the red suited man skipped inside the house to say goodbye to the wolf in a very similar way to Baymax on Big Hero 6. (Because DP is all about pop culture and Big Hero 6 is Yukio’s favorite movie so he’s watched it several times with her just to annoy Negasonic Teenage Warhead).

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was 8am when Karai and Loki finally saw 8 vehicles approach. Karai assumed it was just the first wave. The vehicles finally pull up and Willow is the first to jump out of a car.

“MOMMY!” Karai assumed it was joy, until she saw the panic and tears running down Willow’s face. She ran in to Karai’s arms and sobbed.

“Willow, honey. What’s wrong? What happened?”

“W-We were on our way here and we all decided to meet up at a rest stop and have breakfast. We were getting back on the highway and...it was so fast mom. It moved like a lightning bolt and then...they were gone. It took Edlyn, Howard, Isaac, and Aaron! It just took their whole cars! We tried to stop it! It moved too fast!” Willow broke down again and Karai just held her as she cried.

“Shhh. It’s gonna be okay honey. Mommy’s gonna figure this out and bring them all back. And then I’m gonna make whoever did this suffer.” The flames in Karai’s eyes lit as she comforted her daughter.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***** Somewhere on Jotunheim*

“Alright. That handles about half of you now. I’m sorry to you few Midgardians that got tangled up in this but I can’t allow you to go back now. I do hope you understand.”

“What the fuck is this?! I thought you were the good guy, Thor?” Howard shouted as he fought against his restraints.

“Those are power suppressing wrist binders. And I am the good guy! Still Thor God of Thunder. And I’m saving Midgard from you all. You are the greatest threat to Migard and New Asgard. I can’t have my people fearing Ragnarok again, knowing they just endured it thanks to your mother.”

“She saved your asses! You were going to be mutilated!”

“Yes, and I’m grateful for that. I just wish she would have died along with it as the oracle spoke. Not saying I wish your mother dead, but her being alive threatens the safety of everyone and I can’t have that any longer. Unfortunately, my broth- Loki is in the way of me getting to Karai at the moment so I’ll have to settle for you all first. ”

“What are you going to do? And where are we? It’s freezing!”

“You are on Jotunheim, the coldest realm in all the Nine. And I plan to leave you all here and let nature take its course.”

“You’re going to kill us?”

“No. No see, you misunderstand. I am not killing you. I just brought you here and bound your powers so you can’t save yourselves. But, the climate will kill you. So, Thor is not a killer. Kidnapper? Maybe. But not a killer. Well then, I wish you all luck. I should be back soon enough with more of your siblings.” 

Thor pulled out a blue cube and then he vanished. They waited until Thor was gone and then all huddled together around a stack of sticks they’d found with the rest of their family who’d been taken first. 

“Alright Izzy, go ahead and do it again sweetheart. Izzy focused on her hands and soon a spark appeared and lit a small flame in her hands which she used to light the sticks. After finding out the younger children could not tap into their powers yet, and not having any cuffs small enough, Thor had left them uncuffed. What he didn’t know was Izzy had inherited her mother’s telekinetic abilities. She was able to light her hands by sparking them with her mind and her father had been so proud. Everyone gathered close to the fire, shielding it from the wind.

“Dad? Are we gonna die here?” 

“No, no Izzy don’t say that. We are going to get out of here, I promise.” Izzy curled up in her father’s lap trying to get a little rest. The adults were trying to let all the children sleep while the fire roared. Soon they’d need to eat again and some of the adults would go and brave the elements of Jotunheim to provide for them. They weren’t sure if they’d ever get home, but they would fight, just like their mother and father had taught them.

__________________________________________________________________

Gabe was in the back seat asleep as Karai led the Caravan of cars to the Avengers Compound up North. She’d been quiet the whole ride, just trying to focus on driving. Loki had set an illusion in every vehicle. If one was taken, he’d decided to sacrifice himself and go with it. Karai had been completely against it at first, but after a lot of convincing, she agreed. Luckily that wasn’t necessary because they all managed to get to the Compound in one piece. After Karai talked to security they were all let past the gate and pulled in front of the Compound where Tony and everyone else awaited them. Karai walked right up to Tony and gave him a hug.

“Hey hot head. How ya doin?”

“I’ve been better.” Tony gave her a sad smile and looked around.

“Wow, that’s a lot of family.” Karai huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah it’s uh, a little over half. There would’ve been more but...there was another attack. It took four cars. One by one. They said it moved too fast for them to stop it.” Karai held her head down and fiddled with her fingers. Tony placed his hands on both of her shoulders.

“We’re gonna get 'em back. We’re in this together now. One big happy family.” Karai smiled up at Tony and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started leading the way.

“Now come on everybody! There’s something I want to show you.”

“A-hem.” Steve and the rest of the crew raised an eyebrow at Tony and he rolled his eyes.

“Alright fine. There’s something _we_ want to show you guys. You too, Reindeer Games.” Loki rolled his eyes and followed everyone inside.

Tony led them all inside and to a wing that Karai hadn’t seen yet.

“This is our newest wing of the Compound. We were setting it up for new recruits and possibly an eventual Avengers training Academy, but the team and I have decided that you are our family and we wanted to do something for you all. So Ta-Da!” A banner dropped down from the ceiling and Karai couldn’t help laughing.

‘Welcome Hot Heads’

“This is the official wing for the Fire Giants? Lords? Fire People? You get it. It’s for all of you hotheads. It’s open to you from now on. You’re free to come and go from here as you please now, until the end of time. The Avengers aren’t going anywhere, I’m already making plans to become an Android. But! The purpose of this is to say, you guys can always count on this as a home. You and all future generations are under the protection of the Avengers for forever. We know you lost your real home, and since we can’t Avenge it, we figured we would give you a new one.” Karai was in tears at this point. She threw her arms around Tony and squeezed him tight.

“Thank you so much.”

“Anything for you, Aunt Kar.” She didn’t let go and soon the rest of the Avengers came over and joined the hug.

“Hey frostbite, get over here.” Tony called Loki over and he, while surprised, gladly joined the group hug. 

Then All of Karai’s family joined in. In that moment she felt so much love that the tears she had been holding back finally tumbled free. She sobbed as her family surrounded her. Finally allowing all the pain she had been feeling out. Being surrounded by everyone while she cried only strengthened her more. Reminding her that no matter what she goes through in the future, they were going to be there with her. Whether physically, or in spirit, they had her back. As Steve and Bucky always said, ‘They were with her til the end of the line.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, my eyes started to water writing that last part. I'm not sure why, but I just started feel the hurt and love Karai was experiencing. Don't forget to comment!


	7. Trust is earned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karai gets settled in at the Compound, finding the team has done more for her than she could have ever imagined. But, with the arrival of Thor, trust is tested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA lately. I've been dealing with some things and it just really affected my writing. Gonna try and get back on it! All the likes and comments I've gotten during my absence have been really heart warming and I appreciate it! Love you all!

Karai and everyone else were given a grand tour of the new wing for her family. There were plenty of rooms, multiple kitchens spread throughout the wing and a couple of class rooms, which made sense because it was originally supposed to be an Avengers training Academy. Home schooling was about to be made a lot easier. There was a door that led outside to a fenced off area of the Compound grounds. Tony had it set up with a playground and interchangeable basketball/tennis/etc. court. He also said that everyone was of course allowed to use the pool and training facility in the building as much as they wanted. 

After Karai managed to help everyone get settled in, the team “kidnapped” her. 

“Guys what’s going on?” she laughed as they dragged her to another side of the compound.

“Well, you don’t have to stay in that wing if you don’t want to.” Karai stared at Natasha confused as they all arrived in front of a door.

“Why don’t you take a look inside first and then tell us what you think?” They pushed her inside the room and Karai was speechless.

It was a cute little two bedroom apartment. But what caught Karai’s eyes most was the decor. All around the room were different memorabilia from the past century of her life. How they managed to get it all, she’ll never know. On one wall hung her Navy SEALs uniform with her plate bright and beautiful. She’d thought that it was gone forever after how she’d left. There were pictures scattered about with herself and the Avengers and her children and grandchildren. There were even pictures with her and Gabe, who had already gotten comfortable on the couch in the apartment. A smile came to her face as she spotted a picture of herself and Loki. She remembered taking it the first week after returning from Asgard. She’d immediately sent it to Nat and Wanda with the caption “Some homicidal maniac he is.” Loki had fallen asleep on the couch with her and she snapped the picture while placing a kiss on his cheek.

Karai was nearly brought to tears when she spotted the last picture her and Julfr took together. The black and white photo of Karai and Julfr dressed in 1940s clothing seemed so surreal. But tears finally fell as she looked at the pictures set up next to it. Julfr’s military photos. There was one of him in his uniform and on the frame his dog tags hung, she ran her fingers lightly over the photo, but then she gasped as she saw the last one. She had assumed it was a picture of just Steve and Bucky in the ‘40s with the Howling Commandos, but upon closer inspection of one of the Commandos, she covered her mouth in shock.

“I see you found it. I can’t believe we never put two and two together.” Steve spoke up as he and Bucky entered the apartment to check on her.

“All this time, I never knew that he was a Commando. I should have known. 107th Precinct. Can’t believe I never realized it before.” They stood on each side of her, each of them placing a hand on her shoulder.

“You know, we really should have figured this out faster. Remember how much he used to go on and on about his girl back home, Karai? Sayin she was his princess and he couldn’t wait to see all their kids again? We thought he was crazy at a point, said he had 18 kids. But he said some were adopted so we left it alone. Now we know he was just tryin’ to seem normal.” Tears continued to spill from Karai’s eyes as she smiled and listened to Bucky and then Steve joined in chuckling.

“Ha, yeah. And that time that one tent set on fire and he came out saying he didn’t know how it happened. He felt so bad about it and we had to tell him it was okay, it was empty so no harm was done. Of course, now I know how those sudden fires would happen sometimes when we were on missions. He would get so nervous at times.” Karai chuckled at their stories.

“He never was much of a fighter. That was me, despite all the laws against women fighting over the centuries. Julfr was just a baker. He finally decided to fight for his country after we moved to America. He saw the effects of WWI and when the second war came around, he wanted to fight. But it wasn’t in his nature, even though he was first knight to the princess. He was clumsy and kind hearted. He wasn’t made for war.”

“What made him go?” Karai looked up at Bucky and smiled.

“The same reason so many men fought in WWII, his love for his family and wanting to keep them safe.”

Suddenly the door to the apartment opened and Tony popped his head in.

“Sorry, don’t mean to ruin a tender moment, but I placed a rather large pizza order to celebrate everyone living together now, and I kinda wanted to know if you made a decision yet so I can make Capsicle, Robocop, Legolas, and the Kid go get them at the gate.” Karai laughed as Steve and Bucky both groaned at being nominated to go carry pizzas.

“Yes, I’ve made a decision. This is perfect and I love it. I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate all that you guys have done. Well, myself and Gabe. I don’t think he would’ve let me leave anyway.” Karai pointed to Gabe who was lying on his back on the couch, his large body taking up the whole thing.

“Oh! I might want to mention ahead of time to you guys.” Karai told them ahead of time of Gabe’s possibility of growing in case he happened to have a random growth spurt while they were there. The Avengers jaws just dropped. Loki, however, just stepped inside the apartment and Gabe lifted his head so Loki could sit down on the couch, then laid his head on Loki’s lap.Tony sighed, muttering to himself as he walked away.

“First an alien race lands on earth and I had to help find them a home, then a giant family of ancient alien people move in. Now I’m gonna have a dog version of hulk running around and it likes Reindeer Games. Today keeps getting more interesting. What next? A fish that can do telekinesis and is hell bent on killing humans with plastic as an ironic twist of fate?” The rest of the team slowly followed Tony, each saying how happy they were that Karai was there before walking away until it was just Karai and Loki.

“So, now what, Mischief?”

“Well-” 

“Excuse me, Ms. Karai? Mr.Stark wanted me to bring these. He said he didn’t trust the staff enough not to go snooping.” At the site of the other suitcases, Gabe jumped off the couch and ran over to Loki, asking the silent question. The god rolled his eyes before making all of Gabe’s belongings suddenly appear before them. Karai, Loki, and Peter all laughed as Gabe set down his suitcase that was only half packed and finally managed to bite on the extra large zipper keys Karai had put on for this very reason. They watched as he moved around the suitcase, pulling the zipper until it was open and he started taking out all of his stuff and placing it around the apartment where he wanted it. He stopped and whined in front of Karai when he realized there was no kitchen in the apartment to place his bowl.

“We’ll take it to the kitchen in a moment. I have to put all of your food in the freezer anyway.” The wolf wagged his tail and set down his bowl temporarily and then cuddled up with one of his blankets. Karai shook her head as Loki mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

“That wolf is not like any I’ve ever met.”

“He ain’t normal, Lokes.” Karai chuckled and told Peter to leave the bags by the door and then he left. She turned to Loki with a grin.

“So, obviously since no one has shown you to a room, and I have two bedrooms here, I think you’re still staying here with me and under my watch.”

“I believe you are right, darling. Though, I’m not complaining at all.” A mischievous grin spread across Loki’s face and Karai matched it. She walked over and straddled his lap on the couch and hung her arms loosely around his neck and his hand fell to her waist.

“Hmm, I’m starting to think that you enjoy being my prisoner.” Loki chuckled smoothly. The low rumble of his voice sending chills down Karai’s spine.

“Oh but darling, how do you know that I’m not holding  _ you _ captive right now?” 

“Should we take the time to find out who is who?” They were so close now that their noses were nearly touching.

“Indeed, we should.” 

Karai closed the remaining gap between them, capturing Loki’s lips hungrily. A low growl slipped out of Loki as Karai nipped and tugged his lip a little. 

Just when things were getting good, Karai felt something tugging at her shirt. At first she thought it was Loki, until it tugged harder and nearly pulled her off Loki’s lap. Karai broke their kiss and whipped her head around, only to find Gabe with Karai’s shirt in his mouth. Once she noticed him, he let go and then picked up his empty bowl again and sat down, expectantly. Karai’s head fell against Loki’s chest as she groaned in slight annoyance and Loki sighed. She pulled herself off of his lap, though he was hesitant to let her go.

“Come on, both of you. Food is probably here now and we’ve got to start discussing plans.” Loki got up and grabbed the cooler that contained Gabe’s remaining food for the week. As he walked past Karai she grabbed his collar and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

“To be continued.”

“Oh I know darling. And believe me, I intend to make it well worth the wait.” He smirked as he walked out the door.

________________________________________________________________

Karai, Loki, and Gabe walked into the kitchen where the Avengers all were gathered around what looked like 30 pizzas.

“Holy shit that’s a lot for the few of you.”

“You think this is a lot? You should have seen how many orders I had Friday get for your family. We actually may not finish it all this time. Usually Thor puts down like 10 of these on his own. But maybe you two and the kid can help compensate.”

“What are we? Chopped liver?” Bucky said as he motioned between himself and Steve. Tony rolled his eyes. And Nat spoke up.

“You have yet to master the art of eating, Barnes. You drink too much while eating, which is why Cap can still eat more than you.” Bucky huffed in annoyance and Loki nabbed two pizzas and brought them over and set them on the counter next to Karai and she gladly took a slice out of the box and nibbled on it while pulling out a frying pan from the cabinet.

“Not hungry for pizza Kar-a-oke?” Sam questioned.

“Oh no, I am. I’ve just got to feed Gabe.” They watched as Karai unloaded the small cooler of meat into the large freezer. She kept one nice sized venison fillet out and closed the freezer. The team watched in amazement as Gabe went over to the freezer and opened it. He searched through the freezer, looking through the bags with his name on it, until he found what he wanted. He closed it back and Karai raised an eyebrow as he set a freezer bag with chicken in it on the counter next to her.

“You want both? You do realize it's only noon, right?” Gabe sat on the floor and stared at her while wagging his tail, as if saying ‘please’. Karai just sighed.

“Alright. You’re the boss. I swear you’re eating more and more everyday.” Gabe barked in excitement and then walked to the other side of the kitchen to lay down and wait.

“Karai, what does he eat?” Bruce asked curiously.

“Oh nothing weird. He’s a wolf so he sticks to a similar diet consisting of meat. So beef, chicken, venison, hare. The usual. I supply the beef and chicken of course. Now and then I mix them with rice if he seems like he isn’t feeling 100%. Found out when he was a puppy that dog foods just aren’t the same for him. Plus he’s got to quell that killer instinct somehow.” The team looked over at the wolf who was apparently napping, despite all the smells of food surrounding him. Clint raised his eyebrow.

“Killer instinct?” Karai looked over at Gabe and just shrugged

“Yeah, I don’t know either. He’s weird. Maybe he’s so docile because I let him hunt.”

“WHAT?! You take him hunting? Can I come?!”

“Me too?!”

“I’d really like to see him in action. You’ve only told us stories, but we’ve never seen for ourselves.”

“Bruce, what are you talking about? You were there on Asgard. You probably don’t remember anything after hulk came out to help take out Fenrir, but you should’ve at least seen him before that.”

“Banner! You got to see that thing in action and didn’t tell me? I thought we were bros?” Tony feigned hurt and Bruce rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t get to see much, just enough to know he needed help. Getting to really see him attack prey is an entirely different situation.”

“Well, if you all really want to come you can. I go on Sundays. So anybody can go whenever.” Karai chuckled as she heard the sounds of Clint and Sam whispering ‘Yes!’ and highfiving behind her.

“Oh! I almost forgot. Starting tomorrow we’re going to want to ask your family some questions if that’s alright. We just want to try and get a detailed description of what they saw today and find out if anyone knows anything that may be beneficial in helping us find everyone.”

“Yeah, that should be fine, Tony.” Karai placed Gabe’s food bowl down and he instantly woke up and began eating. She went back to grab another slice of pizza out of the boxes Loki had grabbed, only to find them both empty and another box in his hands. She raised an eyebrow at him and he looked like a deer caught in headlights, but quickly changed it to a look of cockiness..

“I believe being trapped here has caused me to become slightly accustomed to your Midgardian cuisine.” Karai just shook her head in amusement and Steve handed her another pizza.

“Speaking of Asgardian appetites, where is Thor at, Loki?” 

“I’m not sure. I haven’t spoken to him since we returned to Midgard. I assumed he was with you all.” The team shook their heads.

“It’s been the same for us. Haven’t heard a word from him for about 3 weeks now. It’s odd. But, maybe he’s just busy with New Asgard.” Steve said between bites and everybody shrugged in agreement, dismissing the situation. But something didn’t sit right with Karai. And she could tell by the momentary look on Loki’s face that he was suspicious as well. Thor was never one to take leading his people so seriously. Why the sudden change of heart? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thor I’ve got some bad news.” Thor looked up from the plans he had been mulling over on the table.

“What is it, Korg?”

“Well, with Brunnhilde being gone, things are beginning to get out of hand. We’re struggling getting some citizens to lend a helping hand. Some of them said they were nobles and would never subject themselves to such tedious work. Brunnhilde was the only one who could get them to work together. We need your help.” Thor looked a bit lost on what to do. 

“Uhh, well this shouldn’t be too hard. Have the so-called nobles come see me. I’m sure I can talk some sense into them.” 

Unfortunately, most of the nobles complaining were already upset about having to live anywhere aside from Asgard, let alone have to help build a city and farm and fish, etc. These were people that were raised by servants. They drove him up the wall with their demands and in the end, he’d wound up having to excuse himself from the meeting and make a break for it. 

“So, how’d it go?” Korg had stood outside the door, awaiting to hear the triumphant victory that Thor had made with the nobles.

“Well, I-” 

“Thor! I have news!” Miek yelled as he came running up to the two.

“We just received a notice from your Avenger friends. Ms.Karai’s family have been given refuge within the Avengers headquarters and are now under their protection. They’re wondering why they haven’t seen you in so long and want your help in finding the rest of Karai’s family.” Thor let out a heavy sigh.

“Looks like I can’t avoid them for much longer. But, this will benefit us. Since the Muspels are at the Avengers Compound, and I have complete access to it, they just helped us out by rounding all of our targets into one place, plus Loki.”

“But you can’t tether them all at once to Jotunheim. And how will you manage to do this without your friends figuring it out? Not to mention your brother?” Korg said sounding a bit concerned

“Adopted brother, and have you forgotten already that he has yet to realize I’ve not been extremely fond of him all these years? Loki is the god of lies, so I can’t lie to him, I simply withhold information. The Avengers are simple to fool. They believed that I actually cared about Loki, I’m sure it won’t be too hard to fake being completely oblivious to what has happened to Karai and her kin.” Thor summoned his armour and held the Tesseract in his hand..

“For someone who seems to be a lot more devious than expected, how did you still manage to wield Mjolnir?” Miek asked and stood with their arms crossed.

“Oh, it wasn’t too hard. When Loki went on his rampage, he was in the wrong, therefore making it a worthy cause to fight. Before that, there was no spell. I never had to fight Karai, but it won’t matter now that I have Stormbreaker.” He spun the axe around his hand, having used the Tesseract to travel to Nidavellir, he was happy to be wielding a weapon once again that no longer had a spell on it. 

“I’ll be back in a few days, hopefully all this will be behind us by then.”

“Wait! You can’t just leave us now! What about the citizens?” Thor waved and wished them good luck and in a flash of blue, he was gone. Miek huffed in annoyance.

“Some king he is.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thor, glad you could make it." Tony walked up to give him a firm pat on the shoulder and Thor responded the same, only he nearly knocked the wind out of Tony.

"Stark, it's good to see you again. I apologize for my absence, but I've been busy handling diplomatic business for New Asgard. Establishing a colony is a lot more difficult than I thought."

"Aye don't sweat it. Just glad to have you here now. We need the whole team on this one. Strange is even coming in later to lend a hand."

"Yes, I heard Lady Karai's family is disappearing. It is quite unfortunate, but have you all considered that it may be the fates?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well her people are known for the destruction that they have caused. They started wars with other realms and in turn brought about the end of their own. It was even foretold that her kind would bring about the end of Asgard among other things. My father always held a prejudice against her kind, though I believe it was a bit far fetched, after seeing Lady Karai's battle with Hela, I can understand his superstitions." Tony was deep in thought as he processed everything Thor said. Karai and her family were dangerous, but then again wasn't Barnes as well? Hell, everyone on the team was dangerous, but as a team they had to trust each other, right? Even Loki had been keeping up his end of the bargain and coming to the Compound every week before moving in and hadn’t played any pranks on anyone yet.

"Well, no matter what some fortune teller said like thousands of years ago, Kar's family. And we're prepared to do whatever it takes to help."

"As am I, Stark." He knew how the Avengers all felt about Karai, but he figured it was worth a shot to see if he could get them on his side. But now it was apparent that he was going to have to take out the Muspels on his own.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Jotunheim***

"Almost….Got it!" It had taken the effort of the whole family, but they finally managed to get Jacob’s cuffs off, allowing him to have access to his abilities, unfortunately the young girl had exhausted herself from using so much of her telekinetic power just trying to get the cuffs off.

"Daddy, I'm tired." Izzy looked like she was about to pass out and her father scooped her up in his arms.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie. You go ahead and rest now. I'm so proud of you." Izzy gave him a soft smile before curling up in her father's arms and falling asleep. The family was still gathered around the fire. Jeffrey and his brothers, Howard and Mason, had all gone out earlier to try and see if they could find any kind of sustenance, but had been unlucky this time, having found some kind of snow mice the last time. 

"Jacob, are you sure you’re going to be able to melt through these things? They’re Asgardian." Rose had been concerned about putting so much stress on the young girl. What would happen if their plan didn't work? At least they hadn't encountered any Jotuns yet.

"Positive. From what I can tell, these cuffs have some sort of spell on them that inhibits any abilities, which is why we can't light ourselves. But the spell does not make the cuffs indestructible, that's why we were able to heat Aaron's pocket knife on the fire and slowly cut through them with the aid of Izzy strengthening the blade."

"So all you have to do is summon a flame forged blade and we can cut through these?" Jacob nodded

"Exactly. And after we get home, we’re going to have to make it a point to start teaching the children to ignite sooner then we had planned." Jacob grew quiet after that and Rose knew why. Their half blood children took a long time to learn to ignite. Even Mattias hadn't been able to ignite until he was nearly 75 years old. They could only hope that they could find a way for their other children to access their abilities faster. Rose placed a hand on her twin brother's shoulder and tried to give him a reassuring smile. 

"Don’t worry, Jacob, we'll get out of here. I'm sure mom is looking for us as we speak."

"Yeah Big J, you know how momma is. She'll burn down a city to even find Gabe, imagine how she's got to be actin right now." They all laughed a little thinking of their mother.

"You're right Jeff, she's probably going crazy right now."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Back On Earth***

“Hi, Thor!” Karai and Loki walked into the lounge area where Thor, Tony and a few of the other Avengers sat.

“Lady Karai, how are you?” Karai walked over and gave him a hug

“I’m doing good, thank you. I appreciate you coming to help.”

“It’s the least I can do after what you did.” He gave her a bright smile and then turned to Loki to clap him on the back.

“Brother, wonderful to see you!” Loki winced a little at the impact of Thor’s hand. His hit seemed harder than usual.

“I trust you’ve been staying out of trouble?” Loki rolled his eyes and took Karai’s hand and placed a kiss on it.

“I have no desire to do anything except be here to support Karai. You can trust that my days of trickery are over.” Karai looked at Loki lovingly and he returned the gaze. Tony stood there awkwardly and Thor looked between the two of them confused until it finally hit him.

“..You two have..consummated your union haven’t you?” Karai blushed so hard that her face visibly turned red, her eyes wide with shock as Loki reprimanded Thor and Tony coughed awkwardly as the others in the room pretended not to hear it.

“Thor! You can’t just say things like that!”

“H-How did you know?” Karai asked, still in shock and Loki answered.

“Aside from being the god of loud noises, he’s also the damned god of fertility. It’s even custom in Asgard, and some Midgardian cultures, to place Thor’s hammer or a replica on the bride’s lap at a wedding. A way of praying for his blessing for fertility and strong children.” Clint chose that moment to speak up.

“Wait, so one of your powers is that you can tell when people have recently had sex?”

“Not quite, brother Clint. Only when a couple has come together for the first time. I can also tell when a woman is with child.” Karai visibly relaxed now knowing that Thor at least wasn’t referring to their escapades in their new living quarters the night before. Tony’s eyes went wide and he ran off to find Pepper. The team hearing him yell down the hall as he left.

“PEP COME HERE! THOR’S A GIANT PREGNANCY TEST!” Karai shook her head at Tony and went to sit down with the Avengers and Loki pulled Thor into the nearby kitchen to quietly confront him.

“You’ve never made it a point to address when I’ve become intimate with a woman, why now?”

“I’m sorry brother. I honestly don’t know what came over me. It just slipped out. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I haven’t seen you this happy in so long!” Thor gave Loki an innocent smile and Loki just rolled his eyes, summing the situation up to Thor just being an oaf again, though he could tell there was something off about Thor’s demeanor. Not as if he were nervous, but more like Loki could sense a lie in there somewhere. He shook it off. Thor wasn’t one to lie, even if he was prejudiced.

“I’ve never cared so much about anyone before.” Thor clapped him on the back.

“If you’re happy, then I am happy for you brother.” There was that feeling again. There was definitely a lie in that sentence. Perhaps Thor was jealous of Loki finding happiness, and Jane no longer wanting him. Loki just shook his head, a slight smile creeping on his face and they both walked back out of the kitchen as Tony walked back into the living room dragging a half irritated Pepper with him.

“Tony, we haven’t even been trying for kids yet!”

“It doesn’t hurt to check though, right?!” He pulled Pepper in front of Thor and grinned proudly.

“Alright Thor, do your stuff!”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karai was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for everyone plus Gabe, while Cap went about debriefing everyone on what was to be done today. The only people currently present were Cap, Sam, Nat, Rhodey, Bruce, Bucky, Thor, Loki, and Tony. Pepper had already left to go back to working after Thor confirmed she was not pregnant. Tony had crossed his arms and pouted stubbornly and Pepper just said “I told you so.” and left. Peter would not be joining them in this meeting, since he was still in training, so they were only missing Wanda and Vision.

“Alright, so we’ll start by questioning all of Karai’s remaining kids and grandkids and see if any of them can describe what they saw. Hopefully we can get a pretty accurate description. Buck, I want you and Sam to go investigate the area they were abducted. Here’s a list of addresses as well, I want you to do some looking around their homes. See if you notice anything that doesn’t seem right. Tony already has Friday running through security footage from traffic lights, building security, ect. to see if we can find anything. Strange said he should be here soon, hopefully he’ll be able to shed some light on the situation. Anyone not assigned to leave the compound will be helping with getting descriptions. Alright, you have your orders, now move out!” Right as Steve finished, Karai’s voice rang out from the kitchen.

“BREAKFAST!” Everyone halted their movements and Steve cleared his throat.

“Alright, move out, after breakfast.” They all happily piled into the kitchen. Soon the sound of claws scraping against tile could be heard as Gabe came zooming down the halls of the compound. He’d apparently slept in that morning. 

When he reached the kitchen he was holding one of his bears in his mouth and Karai started to laugh until she saw him suddenly drop it. Gabe got into a defensive stance, his heckles rose and he snarled and snapped at… Thor? Everyone looked at Gabe confused and Karai saw his muscles tense as if he was going to try and grow. She rushed over to him, careful not to get too close yet. She stood between him and Thor and tried to calm him down.

“Gabe, sweetie, it’s just Thor. There’s no danger. It’s okay.” She carefully approached the wolf and everyone stood on guard, ready just in case. Luckily there was no reason to intervene, because as soon as Karai got close enough, Gabe’s attitude did a 360 and completely reverted back to his normal, happy, loving self. He had no intention to try and attack Karai and that was obvious. Karai placed a hand on his head and started to scratch behind his ear, his entire demeanor had relaxed as he sat down and enjoyed the attention. At the sight, the team relaxed and went back to eating but Nat looked over incredulously.

“What was that about, Karai?” She shrugged, not quite sure herself.

“I don’t know. Maybe Thor’s scent has changed or something due to his change of environment recently and Gabe didn’t recognize him.” Karai stood up firmly holding on to Gabe’s collar just in case.

“I’m going to take him back to my room. Loki could you bring his food please?” Loki nodded and grabbed Gabe’s bowl before following them back to Karai’s room. She waited until they were inside to let go of Gabe and he ran over to his bowl that Loki had already set down. Karai smiled softly but her eyes held a look of worry that Loki noticed.

“Is something troubling you, darling?” He walked up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on top of hers.

“I don’t know, it’s just… Gabe only reacts that way to people he finds threatening. He won’t even do that to people dressed as bad guys during Halloween. It’s like he can sense someone’s intentions, if they are good or bad. He didn’t even do that when he first met you, remember? But the first time we saw Thor at Stephen’s Sanctum and he tried to threaten you, he did the same thing. This time, Thor didn’t even do anything. I’ve only ever seen him do that when I took him on missions and when on Sakaar and Asgard.”

“Karai what are you saying, love?” He turned her around to look her in the eye and she sighed.

“I’m saying that if Gabe doesn’t trust someone, then I don’t trust someone.  And right now, we don’t trust Thor.”


	8. Fighting for our lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team have no luck so far in trying to locate anyone, and there is still no word from Dr.Strange. Meanwhile on Jotunheim, things keep getting worse for the Muspels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another chapter? That's right. Making up for my time off.

***Jotunheim***

“Aaand...done! That's the last one!”

“Great! At least now we have a better chance of survival. Everyone, light up.” 

Rose, Mattias, Isaac, Mason, Aaron. Edlyn, Jacari, Jeffrey, and Leonardo all began to shift into their Muspel forms and instantly made the area surrounding them all about 100 degrees (farenheit) warmer, which felt great in comparison to the beyond negative temperatures of Jotunheim. After some instruction and focusing, little Izzy even managed to ignite herself, which made her father very proud. They had all the children who had yet to learn how to tap into their powers, along with the few mortal parents that had been taken, sitting in a small circle around the fire still going, while the Muspels stood back from them and made a larger circle, encasing the warmth.

“Alright, Mason, Aaron, and Edlyn, you three go out and see if you can manage to find any sustenance. We’ll stay here and keep guard.” With that, the three were gone.

***Also on Jotunheim***

“Alright, keep it moving. I had to bring so many of you here so quickly that I didn’t have time to bring us any closer to the rest so it will take at least a half hour journey to reach the others.” They shivered as they followed Thor through the frozen wasteland. They traversed until Thor suddenly stopped. Up ahead, he could see tall blue figures with beading red eyes. Jotuns. Sure he could take them on, but they would ruin possible chances of being rid of the Muspels for good and would raise too many suspicions. This was why he brought them here after all, for the Jotuns to take care of them so he didn’t have to.

“Norns.” He turned around to everyone while clasping his hands together.

“Well I’d love to stay and guide you all to your loved ones to meet your demise together, but unfortunately I must be on my way.” And in a flash of blue, Thor was gone. They trembled from the cold and fear, not being able to protect themselves. Suddenly they saw what looked like a flame approaching them.

“AARON!”

“ANIYA?!” The flame called out to Aniya as it drew closer to the group. Aniya could recognize her twin anywhere, even engulfed in flames.They were saved, for now.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Back on earth***

The questioning had been a bust. It had taken two full days to get through everyone and none of Karai’s family had an accurate description of what had kidnapped the others. They all just said the same thing. 

“It was like this lightning bolt hopping from car to car and each time it landed, the car would vanish in a flash of blue.” Sam and Bucky’s investigations didn’t fare any better, the abductor had left no traces of anything and there weren't any signs of anything strange happening at their homes. Day 3 of the search rolled around and there still was no word from either Vision, Wanda, or Strange and Thor had left the previous day, saying he was going to try and consult Heimdall. Karai was also a bit concerned as she hadn’t heard from her family all day, despite them contacting her every morning since they arrived at the Compound. 

Karai was making her way through the Compound that evening feeling defeated, when a flash of green and black making its way toward her caught her eye.

“Hello darling, your eyes are lacking their normal glow this evening. May I ask what seems to be troubling you?”

“You mean besides the fact that my kids are still missing and so far we have no leads whatsoever?” Karai hung her head down and Loki took her hand in his as they continued to walk the halls.

“Karai, I know things look bleak, but we’re going to find them, I promise.” Karai sighed and nodded. She knew Loki was right, she just had to have faith.

“Come on, I think right now what you need is a distraction.

“Loki, I love you, but I’m not really in the mood for that right now.” Loki smirked at her.

“As much as I would love to have you writhing beneath me in pleasure right now, darling. I was actually referring to something else. How about we go to the training facility and stretch your wings?” At those words, Karai’s wings popped out, eager to stretch and fly and Karai just shook her head in amusement.

“Now look at what you’ve done, you’ve got them all excited and we have no choice but to do some flying practice. Very well, lead the way then, Mischief.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* **Jotunheim***

“Let us go! Please! We mean no harm! We were brought here forcefully and left to die!” Willow begged as she and the rest of her family fought to get released of the Jotun guards’ grips. They were being held in the court of the Jotun Queen, Farbauti who was having no mercy on them whatsoever.

“Silence! You came to my realm and trespassed and then killed two of my soldiers. You lot are to be locked in my dungeons to rot for the next 300 years. And as for you boy” Her attention turned to Mattias who was being held by 3 guards.

“For killing Jotun soldiers, you will be executed on the morrow. Consider this an example to you all. Now, be gone!” Rose cried out ‘No’ as the guards took them away. She fought them so hard that they had to bring in two more guards to carry her out. Her firstborn son was to be executed and she’d be damned if she went down without a fight.

“We have to get out of here. There has to be some way.” Jacob and many of his siblings were pacing back and forth in their cells. Rose was curled up in the corner holding onto her son as she sobbed, her other children surrounding them as well as some cousins.They’d put some kind of enchanted ice band around all of their ankles, including the mortals, and now no one could tap into any of their powers. Luckily the cells inside the palace seemed to be warmer than it was outside.

“How do you suppose we do that, turd? You were the one that told us to try and go quietly and maybe they’d have mercy. Now look! They blocked our fucking abilities! We could’ve blasted those fucking soldiers. Mattias had the right idea!” Willow was beyond heated with her older brother. He’d suggested they all extinguish themselves and go quietly with the guards in hopes that they could get help. Instead, they locked all of their powers away and Mattias tried to fight back to stop them from hurting his mother and he ended up killing two soldiers.

“Well maybe if he hadn’t fought and just remained peaceful we wouldn’t be on their bad side!”

“That’s a load of shit and you know it! You saw what they tried to do! You know mom said the Jotuns were unforgiving and heartless beings. Don’t you remember what they did to Muspelheim?!”

“Well what about Loki?!”

“J, you can’t compare Loki to them. He was raised Asgardian and despite how much of a douche Odin may have been...and now Thor, mom never said all Asgardians were bad.” Aniya tried to be a voice of reason between the two as she leaned against her mortal husband who was rubbing slow circles around her belly as their unborn child was very much awake and anxious about what was going on. She willed herself to stay calm and not let the stress overtake her. She still had another month left and she was not about to have her child in a cell on Jotunheim.

The many bickering siblings went silent at the sound of the dungeon doors opening. They stood on guard and ready to fight anyone who tried to take Mattias, but were surprised when a single Jotun man came stepping towards their cell. He stood over 7 feet, much like the many Jotun they’d seen so far, but he wasn’t as intimidating. Though he still seemed rather toned, he didn’t have the muscled and rugged look of a guard. His hair was raven black and clean cut and he stood tall with his head held high. They couldn’t help thinking how much of a resemblance he held to Loki.

“My word, they said we had Midgardians but I didn’t believe it. The few books we have on your kind are centuries old and I’ve been dying to learn more. From what I’ve heard, I’m going to have 300 years to do so, though I didn’t think Midgardians lived that long.” They looked at him confused.

“They don’t. We’re lucky if we get a century to spend with them.” Aniya had relaxed after realizing there weren't any guards coming. The man’s strange words didn’t seem to faze her. However, the man looked at her confused and her twin, Aaron, finished her explanation.

“Half of us are full Midgardians, the children are all half bloods. The rest of us are Muspels.” The man’s eyes went wide in both shock and curiosity.

“This is amazing! I thought you were all extinct. After Muspelheim broke the treaty with Asgard, we were devastated about having to attack, but had no choice with Asgard being our ally. I suppose you all did hold a grudge against us though if you are choosing to attack now.”

“We weren’t attacking! We were brought here against our wills and left to die. We have lived peacefully on Midgard and haven’t even thought about Jotunheim all this time.” Willow spat her words at him in a bitter tone as she made her way closer to the cell bars where he stood.

“Who are you anyway? You don’t look like a guard. Why are you down here?” The man quirked an eyebrow at the shorter girl. 

“And what do I look like to you?” She narrowed her eyes at him, taking in his full appearance which was rather neat and clean and borderline elegant.

“You look like you could possibly be a prince, but that wouldn’t make sense for a prince to come and visit prisoners.” The man smirked at her and chuckled a little.

“It seems you are smarter than you look. You are correct, I am Prince Byleistr, third born son of Laufey.” All of their heads shot up at that.

“Laufey, as in the father of Loki?” Byleistr visibly tensed at the name.

“Yes, that is correct. Loki is my oldest half brother and my father’s firstborn, though myself and my older brother, Helbindli, are not fond of him after he killed our father.” The siblings turned and looked to each other before Willow turned back to Byleistr.

“Listen, Prince Byleistr, I know this sounds crazy, but we desperately need your help. We were forced to come here.You have to believe that we would not purposely trespass on Jotunheim. We don’t even have a way to get here. All we want to do is go back to Midgard. Please. My nephew is set to be executed and my sister could have her child any day now. Please, if there is any kind of mercy in your heart, we’re asking you to just at least help my nephew.” Byleistr looked at them warily and conflicted, before sighing and shaking his head.

“I’m sorry. You all do seem like rather nice people and if what you say is true, I’d love to help you get out of here. But I can’t. My mother and brother will not hear a word I say and your nephew is guilty of murdering two soldiers, which is an offense punishable by death even for our people. I apologize, but there is nothing I can do. I must go now, but I will be back soon hopefully. There is very much I’d like to learn from you all.” With that, Byleistr made his exit, leaving Willow standing at the bars to watch him leave.

Byleistr tried to fight through the guilt that weighed on him. It wasn’t his fault that they’d been brought here and were captured. Still, what bad could showing a little mercy toward them do? He shook the thought from his head. The Muspels could very well be lying and trying to seek revenge for a war that they started. He made his way to the courts where he found his mother and brother discussing intently. Farbauti looked up at him and smiled calling him over.

“My son, did you find out anything about the prisoners?” Byleistr shook his head.

“They only keep saying that they were brought here forcefully and left to die. Also, one is due to have a child any day now.” Farbauti only rolled her eyes.

“Foolish midgardians. Why try and attack with such small numbers and while pregnant with child? No wonder they die so fast.”

“Some of them claim to be Muspel, mother.”

“I’m aware, and according to the soldiers that found them, it is true. Though I personally think it is some silly trick. It won’t matter. Soon enough they’ll all be dead anyway.” Byleistr looked at her confused.

“What do you mean? I thought only one was being executed?” Farbauti smiled.

“Yes, at first, but your brother and I have been discussing this and it is best to kill them all. There is no telling how many of them there could be and if they found a way to Jotunheim, that could breed a potential threat. If we wipe out this lot, it will send a message to anyone else who dares to trespass in the realm.”

“But what if they are telling the truth? What if this is the last of the Muspels and their story was entirely true?!”

“Well I suppose that is their problem, now isn’t it?” Farbauti and Helbindli shared a hearty laugh at the demise of the prisoners and Byleistr couldn’t stand it any longer, his rage over his mother and brother’s heartlessness was steady growing. He abruptly stormed out of the court and went straight for the dungeon and to the prisoner’s cell. Everyone’s brows furrowed at his return.

“I’ll make this short and quick. I just want answers right now. Who brought you here and what is your side of the story?” Willow stood up and looked confused.

“What story?”

“I mean, what happened between Muspelheim and Jotunheim?”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Byleistr returned to his chambers furious. The entire story of what happened to Muspelheim had been completely different from the one he was told of all these years. He didn’t want to believe it. Not one bit. But he couldn’t deny it. Not after who he had just spoken to confirmed it all. 

After leaving the dungeons, Byleistr had made a promise that he’d be back. Even if they were lying, he was hoping he’d have a plan to at least prevent them all from being executed. Upon leaving, he bumped into his old wet nurse. The elderly woman had practically raised him, his mother being far too busy with running the realm upon his father’s death. His wet nurse wasn’t like most Jotun. She was extremely kind hearted and held a warm smile most of the time. She was smaller than most Jotun, Byleistr had figured it had been due to her age, until one day she told him that she was actually part Midgardian. Her grandmother had fallen in love with a Midgardian man when the realms were still open. After her love passed on from such a short life span, she returned to Jotunheim and raised their half blood son. No one ever knew. The nurse’s father grew up as Jotun and the only people who knew the truth were their family.

“What seems to be troubling you, my prince?” 

“Solveig, I have been told some rather unsettling information. Can I ask, were you there during the war with Muspelheim?”

“Yes, my prince. My father actually fought in the war, he died a warrior.”

“Do you know what really happened?” She gave him a sad smile.

“Every bit of it. Come, I’ll tell you of the war and more. There are many things I feel you should know the truth about.”

His nurse had told him everything. The real truth behind the war, which to say he was shocked was an understatement. She’d told him of secrets that very few knew as well and she only knew because of how long she had worked in the palace. No one had suspected the small wet nurse of being possibly disloyal to the crown. 

Having this information, Byleistr knew he couldn’t sit idly. He had to do something about it. He quickly went to consult with his few friends outside of the palace. They’d heard stories of a secret rebellion slowly growing in Jotunheim to end the queen’s vicious reign. Byleistr knew what had to be done, he just prayed to his ancestors and the Norns that he could be fast enough.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* **Earth***

Karai and Loki had spent hours in the gym trying to enhance Karai’s flying ability. It had not been that long since Brunnhilde had left but Karai felt flying was a lot easier already. The high ceilings in the gym allowed her still enough room to practice and she was finding it easier to fly without having to focus on it. Her skills were put more to the test when Sam showed up. He saw her flying and instantly ran to grab his wings, happy to finally have someone, besides Tony, to practice aerial sparing with. Loki even tried to help by throwing daggers and various other things at them occasionally to help with dodging projectiles while fighting. Karai couldn’t help but notice how Loki seemed to be throwing more daggers at Sam than her, but she didn’t bother to mention it. Sam had been completely caught off guard by the strength of Karai’s wings. She’d flapped them so hard that a gust of wind blew Sam into the rafters on the ceiling where they discovered Clint had been hiding after he nearly was knocked off by Sam. After their fun finally ended, the four were walking down the halls, still laughing at the incident, when Bucky came running up to them.

“There you guys are! I was just going to look for you. You better get in here quick.” They didn’t hesitate to follow Bucky back to the Avengers version of a War Room. When they entered everyone was gathered around hanging their heads down, Peter was sat in a chair looking like a kid who had just gotten in trouble for accidentally breaking something.

“You guys? What’s wrong?” They all tensed at Karai’s voice and Peter looked like he was going to burst into tears.

“M-Ms.Karai...I-I’m so sorry. I-I don’t know-...I’m sorry.” The boy was stumbling over his words and couldn’t even get a sentence out.

“Sorry for what Peter?”

“Y-You left me in charge of protecting everyone and I failed you.” Karai didn’t understand but her heartbeat was quickening as possibilities ran through her mind. 

“Guys, what is he talking about?” Everyone remained quiet until Steve finally spoke up.

“Someone infiltrated the Compound and attacked Peter while he was on post in your family’s wing. Knocked him out cold and he didn’t get to see them....They got em Kar. We tried pulling footage but whoever did this knew the Compound and knew how to take out all of the security. I’m sorry Kar…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to Like, comment, and Subscribe!


	9. I want answers and I want them now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally gets answers and some things come to light, but how will Karai react to these new revelations?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than the last few. I wrote this during Black History Month, so I was feeling a little proud to be half African American at the time. Sorry if it seems like I went a little overboard when it comes to prejudices and stuff haha. Hope you all like it!

Karai didn’t say anything for a while. She simply stood there, the gears in her brain turning.

“So, they got my family and aren’t asking for any type of ransom or trying to make any negotiations. This isn’t a kidnapper. Whoever this is wants my family out of the way, and most likely me. This doesn’t change our mission, it just means we have to work harder. We need them found in the next 24 hours. Stark, didn’t you say you managed to get the traffic surveillance footage from when the cars were taken?” Everyone was slightly surprised at how well Karai was taking this. Well, everyone except Tony. He knew what this was. She was past worry and concern and now she wanted answers or buildings may start ‘accidentally’ blowing up. Fight or flight mode, and Aunt Kar never chose flight.

“Have I ever let you down Aunt Kar?” Tony smirked and swiped something across his screen and it transferred to the large screen in the room. The footage rolled and Karai’s eyes studied it intently as they watched the cars disappear one by one in a flash of blue. Loki was stood close by and he was unsure what to do to help, when something in the video caught his eye.

“Wait! Freeze!” The video stopped and everyone looked at Loki as he stepped closer to the screen.

“That’s impossible…”

“What is it, Lokes?” He turned to look at Karai, uncertainty in his eyes.

“I'm not sure why, but I think I know how and I can definitely say that your family is not anywhere on Midgard.”

“What? How?” He turned to her, face full of dread.

“Because that is the Tesseract.” Loki gestured to the screen and everyone’s expressions dropped as they processed what he had said. Sam was the one to finally break the silence.

“Are you sure?” 

“Positive. I wielded the Tesseract more than once and know its capabilities very well. That is without a doubt the Tesseract.” He said while pointing at the screen. Karai started pacing back and forth trying to think of something.

“Alright, this is good. We now have the ‘how’, we just need the ‘who’. Tony, Bruce, didn’t you guys create something that could detect the Tesseract when it’s on earth after Loki’s last visit?” Tony’s eyes went wide as he remembered what she was referring to and rushed over to his computer.

“I’m on it.”

“That won’t be necessary, Stark.” Karai looked at Loki again, he stood tense and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“Why?”

“Because we all know who has the Tesseract. You all watched me hand it over to him.” Realization hit everyone at the same time.

“Hang on, before we jump to conclusions, let’s be rational. Thor is on our side, guys. Tony, go ahead and run that scan anyway. We have to still give Thor the benefit of the doubt and consider that someone could have stolen the Tesseract.” Steve said and everyone nodded in agreement and Loki crossed his arms and mumbled under his breath.

“Yes, and if that’s the case then he isn’t an enemy, he’s just an oaf.”

“Running the scan now. Should have results in about 10 minutes.”

“Don’t bother.” Everyone turned around at the sound of the voice. There stood Stephen Strange along with Wanda and Vision.

“Oh come on, now I really just want to see if the scan will really work.” Stephen rolled his eyes at Tony.

“We already know the ‘who’, we just need the ‘why’.” 

“What do you mean Strange?” Cap asked incredulously and Wanda answered.

“Vision and I left a few days ago to talk to Stephen. Vision had been experiencing a weird tingling feeling when Thor arrived, which is why we never showed up for the debriefing.”

“After leaving the compound, the feeling left, until we arrived at Dr.Strange’s Sanctum. We found out that I am sensitive to the presence of other Infinity Stones. And I have not experienced this since the day we all met the Asgardians, that is until Thor arrived that morning.” Everyone caught on to what Vision was saying but they were struggling with believing it. 

“Hold on let’s take the time to think about this one more time. This is Thor we are talking about, right? God of Thunder and drink you under the table? The same one that has helped save earth multiple times?” Sam wasn’t very convinced and Bucky didn’t seem to be either.

“Sam’s got a point. Why would Thor of all people be kidnapping Karai’s family?” Everyone in the room seemed to be really contemplating what the two said, except Tony who kicked over a chair.

“Goddammit!” He held his hand over his face and everyone looked at him, waiting for him to explain. He just sighed.

“Thor may have mentioned how Kar’s family disappearing could be fate or some shit. He said her people were known for starting wars and brought about their own destruction and some fortune teller even said that Karai would be the end of Asgard. He said Odin was prejudiced against her kind and after seeing Karai fight his sister, he understood why. I-I’m sorry Aunt Kar, I shouldn’t have just brushed him off. He was literally telling me that he was the one responsible and I didn’t even pay attention.”

“Stark, it's not your fault. None of us knew. At least, none except Gabrielle. I couldn’t even tell that he was tricking us all.” Loki surprisingly tried to reassure Tony, but Karai hadn’t spoken since Vision revealed who was behind all of this. 

She had stood there, her anger grew more as Tony confirmed that Thor was behind it all. Loki didn’t try to cool Karai down yet this time, he instead chose to explain what really happened to Muspelheim to everyone and told them about what Thor had told Loki back when they spoke to Odin for the final time and how he wanted to leave Karai to die on Asgard. Karai’s eyes went wide at the final part, no longer able to hold her tongue.

“He what?! And you didn’t think to tell me?! Even if you didn’t say anything because we were focused on defeating Hela, you couldn’t have said something maybe on the way back to Midgard? Or any time before now?” Loki was speechless for a moment. He’d only done it to protect her. She had to understand that.

“Karai, I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I swear. Darling I assumed he was just prejudiced. I never thought he would act on it. He had said that he liked you, but just not your heritage. Karai, I’ve never seen Thor act this way with anyone...except me…” The guilt hit him even worse. He remembered what his brother had done to the Jotuns and now he planned to do something even worse with the Muspels. 

“It’s not your job to decide something like that for me, Loki. I need to know these kinds of things. Out of everyone in this room, I’ve dealt with the greatest amount of scrutiny for being who I am. I had to watch my family and realm die for no reason. I had to hide my abilities and my children’s to avoid being burned alive for being  _ witches _ . I had to watch so many people of the African race, people that looked like me, be treated as if they were animals and scum of the earth all because of the color of their skin. Then only to turn around and still fight for countries that hated them. They fought for equality and were beaten and killed and mocked. To this day, there still isn’t enough fucking equality in this country. I’ve seen first hand what prejudiced people are capable of. I am considered a triple minority, you know why? Because I’m a black, female, alien. You want to tell me that someone is fucking prejudiced against me and you were worried that it would what? Affect our friendship? Newsflash, he stole my fucking family, I think it’s safe to say he’s on my bad side now!”

Karai turned and whistled loudly, it didn’t take long for Gabe to come bounding into the room tail wagging and panting happily.

“Sidet!” (Sit!) Karai growled in Russian and Gabe’s entire demeanor changed. He instantly sat down and his gaze went cold, like that of a highly trained guard dog. The sudden change in the wolf made Bucky quirk a brow at the familiarity. There were only rare times that Karai got this way, and Gabe knew what they meant, it was time to go to war. 

Karai’s body lit in flames and when they receded, she was clad in her armour, her eyes and hair were flames that danced with determination. Loki, despite still feeling somewhat responsible, summoned his battle armour as well, ready to follow Karai wherever. She acted like she didn’t notice.

“You’re either with me or against me. Either way, I’m going to get my family, whatever it takes.” They knew what her words implied. Thor may not live if she gets her hands on him. You never mess with a momma bear’s cubs. Karai was making her way out the door when Steve grabbed her shoulder and she turned around, a determined look on her face. He wasn’t going to convince her to stop. But to her surprise, he didn’t try to. He just smiled at her.

“Your troops are awaiting your orders, Captain.” Karai smiled back at him and she looked around the room to see everyone looking like they were ready to follow her to hel and back.

“I’ll be taking it from here then, Rogers.” They mock saluted and Steve stepped to the side to let Karai take command.

“Strange, do you think you can get me a location?” He smiled at her.

“Got it while you were giving your big speech. He took them to Jotunheim. I’m ready to open the portal when you are.”

“Great. Wait, he put them on fucking Jotunheim?! Dear god, the idiot’s trying to freeze them to death. Let’s hope my in-laws are all okay as well. Alright, Loki, we’ll definitely need you, you’re the only one who knows the place and can locate everyone on foot. Strange is staying here to keep the portal open. Wanda, Vision, Peter, Clint, and Nat, I want you to stay here with Strange, we still don’t know if Thor was working alone or not. Cap, Barnes, Sam, Rhodey, Tony, you’re with Loki, Gabe and myself. You all might want to come extra prepared for the cold, Jotunheim gets far colder than even earth’s coldest places. Bruce, you and the big guy staying or going?”

“I think we’ll stay. I don’t know if he can withstand those extreme temperatures and... he doesn’t have any warm clothes ya know?” Bruce gave a sheepish smile and Karai nodded in understanding, knowing him and the big guy were still working through some things.

“Alright, everyone else, be ready. We leave at 0400 hours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update of the day. Next update will be next Wednesday 6/17/2020. And be ready, cause you're all in for a treat!


	10. War, what is it good for?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Muspels face certain doom at the hands of the Frost giants. Karai and the team finally confront Thor on the abduction of her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! So sorry that I forgot to post yesterday. I don't know what's up with me lately, I've been forgetting everything. Here's chapter 10, hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

***Jotunheim***

The loud clanging of the doors awoke the family from their short slumber. Prince Byleistr had left after getting all the information he needed, promising he’d be back. But all of their hearts filled with dread as it was not the Prince that approached the cell, but multiple guards. Everyone began to stand up, forming a wall around Mattias.

“You’ll have to pry him from our cold dead hands.” Rose spat at the guards and they began to chuckle.

“Such small beings shouldn’t use such big words, you could get hurt.” Then the guards began grabbing them all. They fought, kicked, and punched, but they were outnumbered, and currently lacked the strength to fight against these giants.

They hauled them all up from the dungeons and to the court, queen Farbauti sat proudly on her throne, her son Helbindli stood beside her, but Byleistr was nowhere to be seen. Their screams of protest grew louder and began to turn to cries as they entered the court and several archers were lined across the room and the realization that they were all about to die hit.

“Shall I give the order, mother?” Helbindli held a proud smile at the sight of the chaos.

“Hmm, not yet, my son. We shall wait for your brother. I wish for him to see this proud moment.”

***Back on earth***

Thor reappeared outside of the Avengers Compound and walked inside. He thought he had struck Peter hard enough to forget that he ever saw him, so he thought he was in the clear.

“Friends! I’ve returned! I know where everyone is. We must journey to Jotunheim!” He stepped into the war room where everyone was already suited up and all eyes were on him as they glared at the one they once called friend.

“Uhh, have I missed something?” Karai came into view with a smile on her face.

“Oh Thor! Lovely to see you again. We were actually just on our way to Jotunheim. Dr. Strange has located my family.”

“He has?T-That's wonderful news!” Thor was starting to get a little nervous as they never seemed to ease up on their gazes.

“Yep! And it just so happens that Vision can sense when another Infinity Stone is present. But he said the strangest thing. He said when you arrived, he felt one. And then the rest of my family was kidnapped and Peter woke up not remembering a thing. Isn’t that the funniest thing?” Karai was laughing and Thor began to laugh nervously. 

“I suppose it is. Are you sure it isn’t Loki then? Just pulling his illusions?”

“You know, we considered it at first, until we found out something. Just because Loki can cast an illusion to look like someone, doesn’t mean he can actually strike people with lightning. It’s really funny that we know about the effects of electricity on the brain, after all that was the method used on Bucky to brainwash him. I mean, it left burn marks, Thor. You could have killed the poor boy. That wasn’t very nice.” That’s when Karai’s face dropped and everyone started to move closer.

“Friends. Avengers! You are my brothers and sisters in battle! Let’s not be too hasty. I-I can’t be responsible for what happens if you get too close.” And that's when Loki appeared behind Thor.

“No, but I can.” Loki strapped one of the collars from Sakaar around Thor’s neck, effectively stopping him from calling upon lightning. He’d held on to it as a just in case and was glad he had. His illusion then vanished from behind Thor before he could strike it.

“What the-? Get this thing off me now Loki!” He looked smug as he crossed his arms.

“No.” Thor tried calling upon his lightning but nothing seemed to be working. He hadn’t been paying attention as Karai now stood directly in front of him.

“Lady Karai, please, I can explain!”

“Oh believe me, you will.” She swung her fist so hard, effectively knocking Thor out in one hit.

“Peter, web him for now. If he wakes up, find something heavy and knock him out again. Stephen, open the portal. Avengers, let’s make this quick. Move out!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They traversed the harsh conditions of Jotunheim. Tony and Rhodey were being kept warm in their suits, but Cap, Bucky, and Sam were relying on their extra temperate clothing that Tony had given them all and the heat emanating from Karai to keep warm and Gabe was a wolf so he was doing okay for now. Once they had stepped through the portal, Loki’s form had changed. He grew to his full height and his skin turned blue. He used his seidr to change his clothes to that of a prince of Jotunheim as he was. He wore looser black leather trousers with fur lined boots, he was bare chested, as a demonstration of strength, but he had gold trimmed shoulder armour plates that connected to a black cloak that was lined with emerald green on the inside. He held his head high as he proudly wore his newer rendition of his gold horns instead of letting his natural horns out. He held a golden staff in one of his hands that reminded Karai a lot of Gungnir. Karai had switched back to her Midgardian form, however, with the addition of her armour. The cold still never touched her right now and the snow melted beneath her feet as she walked. Loki took a moment to use his seidr to detect where everyone was.

“This way..” They started moving faster across the frozen tundra.

“Hey Lokes, you still got the Casket of Ancient Winters?”

“Yes, it’s tucked away in one of my dimensional pockets. Why?” Karai shrugged.

“Just wondering.” After trudging through the snow for some time, they finally started to see what looked to be a castle made of ice. 

“We better hurry. If they're in there than this can't be good.” Karai scoffed at the predicament.

"Can't we ever catch a break?"

"Apparently not, little one." She glared at him for using the nickname again.

"Just because you're about 2 feet taller, doesn't mean you can call me little." He let out a small chuckle, happy that she was at least still trying to be light hearted about the situation.

"Hey Ms.Hothead, I don't mean to be a Debby Downer, but we are entering smurf territory. Should we be worried?" Karai looked ahead and then at Loki who nodded and answered for her.

"We're going to try and talk to them first. If things seem to start turning for the worst, then it's important to know that you cannot touch their skin, nor can you let them touch yours. You'll instantly be frostbitten if they choose to." Everyone nodded in understanding and they carefully approached the castle.

“Stop where you are! Who are you?” The group stopped in their tracks and Loki carefully stepped forward.

“I am Prince Loki Laufeyson and I demand to speak to your queen.” The guards looked at each other before one stood before them and gestured for them to follow. As beautifully as the ice was sculpted throughout the palace, Karai willed herself not to look and stayed focused. They were brought to a set of huge doors that led to the court. The guard didn’t hesitate and simply told the guards on the doors to open them. The queen raised an eyebrow as the doors opened.

“General? What have you brought for me?” The general smirked.

“I’ve brought more trespassers, your majesty. And they are led by the traitor. I’d figured you’d want to execute them as well.” The team’s eyes went wide and Farbauti smirked on her throne. Karai’s family was lined up to be executed, some already in position, others literally standing in line to meet their doom.

“My my, is that the little runt Loki? So you’re the one leading this. I should have figured as much, only you would choose a bunch of weak Migardians and Muspels as an army to fight against your homeland. Well you’ve made it just in time to watch them all die. FIRE!” At the call, the archers aimed their bows and fired. 

Before he could think, Loki used his seidr to freeze the arrows in midair before they fell to the ground. Tony flew up and shot the bows out of the archers hands, Bucky, Steve, and Sam took out the few guards that surrounded them and Gabe took the opportunity to grow to his full size. Karai stood with her sword in hand, but still refused to ignite or even show her wings.

“I told you she’d come.” One of Karai’s grandchildren whispered to their cousin.

“Queen Farbauti, I demand you release these innocent people at once!”

“You make no demands here, Loki. You’re a traitor to your kind and an unwanted runt. No wonder your mother left you to die. Perhaps she realized how pathetic you were.” Loki gritted his teeth in anger.

“These people have nothing to do with history between us. They have done nothing wrong and were brought here against their will. You wish to shed innocent blood?”

“They are innocent of nothing. They trespassed in my realm and then the boy killed two soldiers. They have all been sentenced to death.” Before anything else could be said, Byleistr came bursting through the palace doors with a trail of guards and warriors behind him. 

“But he didn’t kill them without cause, did he mother?” Farbauti looked taken aback by Byleistr’s behavior and did not look too comfortable with his followers.

“Byleistr, what is the meaning of this?!”

“The meaning of this is, you are about to execute innocent people, and your kingdom now sees the truth. The boy didn’t attack the soldiers unlawfully, they put their filthy hands on his mother and they were going to make him watch while others restrained him. He had no choice but to defend his own mother. You were going to ignore that though, weren’t you. You were going to ignore it despite the law father set in place to ensure the safety of women in the realm and to protect our population!”

“She was not of our realm! Not our people! The fire bitch didn’t matter!” Karai was heating up and Loki had put his arm out in front of her to stop her. More of Farbauti’s guards had begun to file in and they had to think things through.

“But that’s not all you did is it? You not only knew that they were on Jotunheim, you’d made a deal with Thor to kill them! You made a deal with him just as you did with Odin centuries ago! You stopped our peace treaty from ever reaching Muspelheim because you and Odin had planned to start a war in the first place, then he turned on you! He turned on you and left you to rule a desolate Jotunheim with my heartbroken father. And why was he heartbroken you may ask? Because his wife and firstborn child had been presumed dead after only his wife’s body was found. But what he didn’t know was that she was found having been poisoned, not killed in battle. A poison only native to your homeland, mother, and only those of the noble family know of its existence. You killed her so you could have the throne, and made it seem like it was the Asgardians. You’ve been the author of chaos for centuries,and the downfall of Jotunheim and your reign of terror ends now!”

“ENOUGH!’ Farbauti stood from her throne in rage.

“I will not be made a fool of by my own son. Yes, I claimed the throne in unconventional ways. Yes I started wars to get what I wanted. Odin had promised me the damn Casket back. I was going to use it to rebuild our realm. And Thor offered it as well. He’s the Allfather now and can do what he wishes, as I am the queen of Jotunheim and will do as I wish. Guards, seize them all!” The guards moved to grab everyone and the Avengers held their defenses, not letting anyone get close. All eyes were soon turned to Loki, however, as his laughter echoed throughout the room.

“You really are an idiotic queen!” A vein pulsed in Farbauti’s forehead.

“Silence, Odinson!”

“I think not. I mean it’s just so funny that you fell for the same trick twice, but the second time was even worse. You didn’t even question if Thor had the Casket! Asgard has fallen, it’s no more. Thor rules a small colony of Asgardians on Midgard! He doesn’t even have the Casket and he’s certainly no Allfather. You have just admitted to the slaughter of billions without cause and you think you’re still going to rule? Not to mention the assassination of the former queen! That’s without a doubt, several counts of treason.”

“That is enough, Loki! You will not speak to my mother this way.”

“Or what, Helbindli? You’ll kill me? Do you think I’m a threat to your throne? Look around you, boy, the only threat I see is your very own brother, Byleistr. I just came here for the prisoners.”

“None of you Midgardians will leave this court today if I have anything to do with it.” Helbindli quickly drew his sword and stepped down in front of Mattias and raised it.

“Brother, don’t!”

“Do it Helbindli. Make an example of that pathetic boy!” At this moment Karai decided she’d stayed quiet long enough and before Tony could even shoot a blast, or Loki could use his seidr, Helbindli’s sword clattered to the ground with his hand still attached to it. Loki realized that Karai was no longer beside him and he wondered how she’d gotten across the room so fast without anyone noticing. Helbindli clutched his wrist and screamed in pain.

“You know, I wanted to reason with you all, but frankly it seems the only sensible one here is your little brother. I’ve had enough of these games. Hand over my family now or face the consequences.” Farbauti was seething as she made her way slightly down the dias.

“How dare you, you insolent little Midgardian! You’ve struck the crown prince of Jotunheim and will pay!” Guards pulled their weapons and made their way closer to Karai. She cracked her neck before letting her wings pop out and pushing off the ground to hover above them all. 

“I am no Midgardian.” Karai’s skin finally changed as she ignited, her head held high as her wings turned to flames as well and her crown appeared on her head.

“I am Karai Surtrsdottir, queen of the Muspels, and I order you to release them all now, or I swear, you will pray for death when I am through with you.” Farbauti seemed frozen in fear and shock as she looked upon Karai. 

The general who had brought them there decided now was the best possible time to attack the team. He lunged with his sword at Steve and Bucky, causing the whole team to react and soon the entire court was locked in battle, Byleistr’s followers fighting as well. Loki was using a combination of his seidr and frost abilities to paralyze guards that tried to attack him and sent ice daggers flying with aid of seidr. More archers filled the court and aimed their bows at Karai. With one flap of her wings, Karai sent a wave of flames at them, cutting their bows in half. She swooped down to her family and began ridding them of the guards still holding them. 

“I know you all are probably exhausted, but it would be best if you ignited now and stood to protect the mortals and children.”

“We can’t, they put these things on us and now none of us can tap into our abilities.” They said, showing her the ice like anklets that seemed to be enchanted and refused to come off. She tried seeing if she could melt them but they didn’t seem to budge.

“LOKI!” She called out to him even over the loud noise of the battle raging and in an instant, he stood next to her.

“Is something wrong, my dear?”

“These are what’s wrong. Think you can get them off?” Karai gestured to the wristlets and Loki narrowed his eyes at them.

“It’s a binding spell. Seems simple enough to break. I should have them all off in no time.”

“Great, I’ll cover you.” Karai took flight again and Loki got to work on removing the ice suppressors. She took out guards left and right that dared to come near them. She stopped an arrow that was aimed at prince Byleistr and he looked shocked before nodding his gratitude. 

Karai didn’t see the dagger Helbindli had managed to throw flying at her from behind. 

“KARAI!” Steve called out and Karai turned around just in time to see a fireball thrown at the dagger. She looked down to see all of her children ignited and pissed off as hell. Pride swelled in her chest as she looked down at her own miniature army. 

“All of you, towards the team!” She led them to where Steve, Sam, Bucky, Rhodey, and Tony were fighting off Frost Giants not far from the entrance. She came down to a hover close enough so everyone could hear her.

“Alright, I want five of you to go with the Avengers and get the mortals and half bloods out of here. Dr.Strange has a portal open waiting for everyone. Tony, do you think Friday can pick up on Strange’s portal from here?”

“Had the corodience since we got here, K. Just in case we had to steal the hotheads and make a break for it.” She smiled at him. 

“Perfect. Alright, you all go. I want the rest of you to remember your training and help fend off the guards long enough for the others to make a break for it.” The rest of her children nodded and ran back off into battle while the Avengers rounded up the mortals and half bloods to get them out.

Karai landed behind Loki, shoving a kick into the chest of a Frost giant that was trying to sneak up on him.

“Ever think you’d be fighting your own kind?” A grin spread across Loki’s face.

“Wouldn’t be the first time, love. And you’re my kind, not them.” She smiled as she held a frost giant in a choke hold while burning his flesh.

“Awww. You’re such a romantic.” He turned around and stabbed two daggers into the chest of the frost giant she was holding and she let its body drop as it went limp in her arms. Loki smiled brightly at her.

“The fact that you consider me telling you how much you mean to me while in the middle of complete and utter chaos that we caused and do not regret one bit, makes me adore you even more.” She leaned up to kiss him as more frost giants ran towards them. One flap of her wings had the giants flying back away from them. She pulled away from the kiss still smiling at the extra tall blue god standing before her.

“To be continued.”

“Indeed, my dove.”

“Mind giving me a boost?”

“Your wish is my command.” With a flick of his wrist, his seidr sent Karai zooming into the air and she opened her wings wide and caught herself. She looked down to notice that the court was beginning to fill with bodies and the frost giants looked too damn stubborn to give up at any time. This worried Karai. She wasn’t upset about attacking, especially after finding out the truth after all these years, but she had not come to kill off a realm. She would not stoop to their level. Karai realized than that this all had to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! That was something. More to come next Wednesday and I'm gonna put it on my calendar on phone from now on.


	11. War is Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle between the Jotuns and Muspels continues and things begin to take a turn for the worst.

The Jotuns fought against the Muspels and other rebellious Jotuns, it was complete and utter chaos and it was enough to possibly end Jotunheim if not careful. Karai knew this had to end. Queen Farbauti had stood on the steps of her dias giving orders, a staff in one hand and a sword in the other. Karai landed on the steps next to the giantess and the queen raised her sword but Karai held up her hands in defense.

“Wait, I just want to talk.” 

“You come into my kingdom, my realm, and begin slaughtering my people and expect  _ me _ to not to smite you where you stand so you can speak?” Karai shrugged.

“Yeah, kinda. I mean, you didn’t exactly try to listen to reason earlier. You forced me to take matters into my own hands.” Farbauti swung her sword and Karai easily dodged it.

“How dare you act as if I brought this on myself!”

“But you did! Ugh, look. I only came up here because if this doesn’t end soon, you’re going to lose a lot of soldiers and leave your land defenseless. I know what it’s like to lose a realm, I don’t wish that upon anyone. We can end this now.” Farbauti smirked and swung her sword again.

“That is precisely what I plan to do, end this, when I have your head as my trophy.” Farbauti swung and spun her sword and staff around, Karai doing her best to dodge as she still didn’t want to fight the old, demented bitch.

“Why are you running Muspel? Afraid?” Farbauti cackled and Karai grimaced at the ugly sound.

“Of hurting you and leaving your realm with no ruler and taking a mother away from her sons? Yes. I’d really like to avoid a possible war with Midgard and Jotunheim.”

“Ha! Your Midgardians stand no chance against us. We used to keep them as pets because we found their weakness adorable.”

“Yeah well, they aren’t so weak anymore. Anytime they can fight off an entire army of Chitari and win and only come out having lost a few hundred lives within one of their thousands of cities, I think they stand a chance against the Jotuns. How many are there left of you? 10 million 20? Doesn’t matter, they out number you by the billions.” Karai smirked as Farbauti grew angry with her words. Midgard had prospered over the many millennia, while Jotunheim continued to die. She swept Farbauti’s leg and the queen fell to the ground. Karai finally drew her sword and held it at her throat.

“I’m telling you, stand down now. Despite being far outnumbered by you right now, my people have thrived while yours have become weaker and weaker every passing century. End this now before you lose your army, your throne,” Karai held Farbauti’s chin with the tip of the blade.

“And your life.” The giantess looked up at Karai, eyes full of hatred, until she saw someone creeping up behind Karai, her should be dead son, Helbindli. He stealthily moved closer to Karai, dagger in hand. A special laced blade, forged in the same forests where his mother’s family hailed from. Farbauti smirked.

“Very well, I’ll see you in Hel, Fire demon.” Karai narrowed her eyes at the queen at the same time a resounding ‘NO!’ was heard across the room coming from both Loki and Byleistr. Helbindli swung his blade and without even thinking, Loki teleported behind Karai just as the dagger made contact. He blasted his half brother back with his seidr and gripped his abdomen where a dagger now sat. Karai’s sword dematerialised as she turned around in time to grab Loki as he stumbled back.

“LOKI!” The Queen tried to take the opportunity to attack, but was stopped by a blade at her throat. She looked shocked as she saw who the sword belonged to. 

“Mother, this is finished.”

“Byleistr, how dare you? I’m your mother and your queen. Remove this sword at once.”

“Wrong, you will always be my mother by birth, I cannot change that, but you are no longer my queen. Surrender now, Farbauti.” He pressed the blade more firmly against her throat and she looked around for help, only to find her general dead and her other son, hopefully not dead as he was slouched against a wall after being thrown and she gulped.

“Alright, as goes the way of our people, you have fought valiantly. Finish me off and claim your throne.” She closed her eyes, waiting for it to end.

“No.” Her eyes shot open in surprise.”

“What do you mean no?”

“I mean, I refuse to kill you for the throne. I’m taking over this realm and I’m ending all of this unnecessary bloodshed. I refuse to be anything like you, my brother, or even my stubborn father. You shall live out your days in the dungeon, and be haunted by your deeds. You will not get a warrior's death, and may the Norns have mercy on your soul. Guards, take my mother to the dungeons and lock her away for murder, illegal manslaughter, and multiple cases of treason against Jotunheim.” Karai hadn’t noticed that the fighting had ceased, she didn’t notice as the guards moved forward to take away Farbauti, and then an unconscious Helbindli. She didn’t pay attention to anything around her and was only pulled back to reality when Byleistr kneeled down next to where she held loki. She had extinguished the flames on her body as she held him trying to figure out some way to help him.

“How is he?”

“He’s not responding and he’s fading fast. What was with that dagger?” 

“It’s forged with black magic. Our people don’t deal with magic or seidr much, but on the rare tendencies we infuse it into weapons. Mother had these made for me and my brother the days we were born. It paralyzes it’s victim immediately so it can freely move into the body without hindrance, slowly killing them so they can die a slow and painful death.”

“T-There’s a way to reverse it, right?!” Byleistr gave her a grim look.

“I’m afraid the only ones capable are our sorcerers that live near the sea. It would take days for them to get here, and he only has about 10 minutes.” Karai looked at him shocked. Tears had gradually begun to slide down her face. 

“There has to be some other way! Anything!” She begged Byleistr as she cradled Loki’s head.

“I’m sorry, but unless you have powers of sorcerery, there is no hope.” Karai looked up at him as realization hit her. She wasn’t a sorcerer, but she knew two.” She shot up from the ground, muttering a quick ‘hang in there Loki, I’ll be back soon’ before igniting and flying up, bursting through the ceiling of the palace. A fiery aura began to appear around her as she flew through Jotunheim faster than she’d thought possible. She came flying through Dr.Strange’s portal, catching everyone off guard.

“Karai! Where’s-”

“No time, Strange, Wanda, I need you now!” Without hesitation, Wanda nodded and Vision picked her up and flew them through the portal, led by Karai. Stephan closed that portal and focused as he located the Jotun palace and opened a new portal, stepping through just as Karai and Vision and Wanda landed. They noticed Loki on the ground, dagger still in him and looking on the verge of death.

“What’s the prognosis, Karai?” Stephen said as he stepped closer, doing a scan of Loki’s body and seeing something black slowly creeping up his veins.

“Black magic, the dagger was infused with it.”

“Hmm.” Stephen went about doing something Karai didn’t understand and Wanda stepped closer and placed her hands on his head.

“He’s not able to communicate but he still has a thought pattern… He’s thinking about..Karai.” Karai felt her heart clench in her chest and she felt useless as she stood to the side.

“Hang on. It’s changing. He’s thinking about his mother. He feels happy about seeing her.”

“Alright, as nice as a family reunion would be, I gotta bring this to an end.” Stephen’s hands started glowing and black began to rise from Loki in a mist.

“Wanda please keep him with us.”

“I’m trying, but he can’t seem to hear me.”

“Try inducing a memory! Something that would make him want to stay!” Stephen was trying to move as fast as possible. Wanda grunted in frustration.

“He won’t look or! I-I’m losing him!”

“GOT IT!” They all watched as the black mist now swirled in the air and Stephen did something that caused it to turn gold and then disintegrate into thin air.

“He’s not coming back!”

“WHAT?!” Karai said from where she stood.

“His mind is too much chaos for me to navigate through properly! I can’t reach him and pull him back!” ‘fuck’ Stephen muttered before doing something with his eyes and than going back to normal seconds later, but in a panic.

“I CAN’T FIND HIS FUCKING ASTRAL PROJECTION ANYWHERE!” This was impossible. If he wasn’t here, then where was he? Suddenly an idea hit Karai.

“Stephen, watch over us.” He didn’t have time to nod or question because Karai sat in a crouching position, her fist on the ground and her wings spread wide. The flames in her eyes turned white and then they went out. Her body was unmoving from the position but somehow Stephen and Wanda knew she wasn’t there anymore.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karai entered Niflheim in a frantic search for Loki, hoping that if she found him in time, she could bring him back without the aid of Hela. She was amazed how she managed to stay in her Muspel form while in the realm. She began flying over the expanse of the realm, scouring it for Loki. She’d spotted something that looked odd. A man with what looked like ghouls and Valkyrie surrounding him. She assumed it was just the Valkyrie saving a soul, but couldn’t help the uneasy feeling she got when he looked up and smirked at her. She smiled back and continued on her way. Finally she found Loki along the path to Valhalla, not being led by anyone. She landed in front of him, a big smile on her face but he seemed caught off guard.

“Loki! I’m so glad I found you!” He looked at her confused.

“Do I know you?” Her face fell.

“Loki, it’s me. Karai.” His expression remained the same.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t recall who you are. But might I ask, what are you exactly?” Karai felt her heart begin to break. She tried to pull herself together. 

‘Perhaps it’s a side effect of the black magic. Maybe he’ll remember once we get back’ She thought and decided to turn back to her Midgardian form and Loki looked even more shocked.

“I’m a Valkyrie and I’m here to escort you back to the land of the living. It is not your time yet.” Loki was unsure but he couldn’t sense a lie so he nodded and Karai grabbed him by the back of his collar and quickly flew back to the entrance of Niflheim, praying to the norns that it would let Loki back through.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Loki woke up on the ground, his head reeling. Karai took a deep breath as she came back to herself beside him and everyone in the room visibly relaxed. No one had noticed that Loki had somehow changed back to his Asgardian form and Karai back to her Midgarian form before awakening. 

“Loki? Are you feeling alright?” Karai asked from beside him and he looked at her confused.

“Yes, I’m quite well, thank you little Valkyrie. Now I do have questions.” He said as he started to sit up, groaning as he did so. Though Strange had managed to heal his wound, being back in your body after dying did take some getting used to.

“How exactly did I die? And where are we- SHIT!” He exclaimed and quickly summoned a dagger.

“Quickly, get behind me, we’re surrounded by Jotun!” They all looked at him confused.

“What’s so bad about Jotuns?” 

“Are you joking? They’re savages and bloodthirsty! They’re no better than the Muspels that they wiped out centuries ago!” They all looked at each other worried as the gravity of the situation began to sink in.

“Loki, who is your birth father?” He looked at them as if they were stupid.

“Are you mad woman? We’re surrounded by Jotun and you ask me a question like that?!” Karai rolled her eyes.

“Just answer the fucking question, Mischief!” He glared at her.

“If we weren’t surrounded by the enemy, I could have you thrown in the dungeon for speaking to me like that, you mewling quim. I don’t care if you’re a Valkyrie, I am Prince Loki Odinson of Asgard, and you shall respect me as such!”

“Oh Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up next Wednesday!


	12. Keep on moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the loss of Loki's memories, Karai is forced to cope with what could be her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry I missed last week. I only have one chapter tonight. Thanks for all the love!

Loki had become extremely hostile and Wanda and Stephen had no choice but to temporarily knock him unconscious. Karai sat on the ground looking defeated and Byleistr came up and sat next to her. The Jotun guards had begun to gather the bodies of their fallen and injured comrades. Dr.Strange reopened the portal back home, allowing the remaining Muspels to leave, but one stayed back.

“Willow? What are you still doing here?” 

“Well, it’s just that...home is so boring! We’ve lived there for centuries and I’ve seen all of it! I want a change of scenery and despite the circumstances, coming to Jotunheim was like a breath of fresh air!” Karai looked at her shocked.

“A-Are you saying that you want to stay?” Willow looked down a bit guiltily but nodded her head. Before either of them could say another word, Byleistr spoke up.

“That’s an excellent idea! I could use someone with an open mind as an advisor. I also need someone to stand as a mediator between treaties with other realms. I plan to find a way to open Jotunheim again one day to the Nine. What better way of saying ‘We welcome all’ than a Muspel as a head advisor?!” Willow looked at him, mouth agape.

“Are you offering me a job?”

“I’m offering you the highest position possible besides a crown itself. You’ll be head advisor to the king, my right hand. And once our doors are open, you’ll be sent out on peace missions. You’ll see all the Nine.” Willow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She looked over at her mother who just gave her a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes, Willow knew Karai was behind her in whatever decision she made. With a deep breath and a big smile, Willow nodded her head.

“I accept.” Byleistr stood up from his seat.

“Wonderful! You start immediately. Come, we have much to discuss!” Willow followed Byleistr out of the court, but not before doubling back and squeezing her mother in a tight hug. Karai held on as long as she could, a bit saddened, but extremely proud of her little girl. She finally let her go and Byleistr led her throughout the palace.

Vision volunteered to carry Loki as they all made their way through Stephen’s portal. Upon reentering the Avengers Compound, they were bombarded with questions by the team, but Karai didn’t say a word as she had Vision lay Loki on a couch. She seemed lost in her own mind and no one could get through to her. Even Gabe tried to by laying his head on her lap, but she didn’t even move to pet him, causing the wolf to whine in worry. As Karai was unresponsive, Stephen went about explaining what happened after the team left. Wanda placed her hands around Loki’s head again, trying to see if there was anything she could possibly do.

“I think I see his memories, but they seem to be locked away, worse than Sergeant Barnes’. It’s stronger than what I am capable of.” Strange sighed.

“I don’t understand. Of all the outcomes I saw, this was in none of them. It makes no sense. The only way someone could possibly defy all timelines, is if they saw all of the outcomes, therefore making them capable of setting a new one. And I only took a step towards one I had foreseen. Everything has gone according to plan so far except for now.” He began to pace back and forth, trying to figure out what could have happened. He finally opened a portal back to the Sanctum.

“I’ll have to consult the time stone again to see what our new timeline and outcomes are. I fear what this could all mean. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He stepped through the portal and it closed behind him. Everyone remained quiet, not knowing what to say. Until Karai finally took a deep breath and sighed, getting everyone’s attention.

“Where’s Thor?”

“Locked up. We put him in the cell we had saved for Hulk and Loki.” Steve said calmly, but he still was concerned about Karai.

“Good. And my family?”

“Med bay along with Bucky and Sam. I called in a few favors from Professor X. He sent over some help right away.” Tony said and Karai nodded, thankful. Professor Xavier was quite fond of Karai and her family. Her daughter in law, Luana, was a mutant who had gone to Xavier’s school. 

“Where’s Nat?” Karai finally noticed that the black widow wasn’t present.

“Being a diplomat. Korg called and asked about Thor, saying that New Asgard was in chaos. So she went to lend a hand along with Clint. He said he knew about Thor’s plan and had even helped a little but never wanted to do it in the first place and to tell you he’s really sorry. We figured it best if we kept some of our own down there as a just in case.” Karai still just nodded, she finally reached her hand out to pet Gabe as he tried harder to get her attention.

“What are we going to do with him?” Tony finally asked, referring to Loki.

“We can’t just leave him unconscious and if he doesn’t remember anything, how is he going to handle being here? He’s gonna have questions. Do we just tell him that he destroyed New York and because of him, this amazing team was created?” Tony said, a smile at the end trying to lighten the intensity of this entire situation.

“I don’t think it is best that we tell him about New York right now. He doesn’t even remember that he’s Jotun. It’s as if all of his memories from when Thor first came to earth years ago are gone. We should try to only tell him the essentials. He’s already going to struggle with the fact that Asgard is gone and now has a colony on Midgard. Shit! He’s going to hate me.” Karai hung her head in her hands and Wanda came and sat down next to her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

“It’s going to be okay, draga.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, Wanda was wrong and things were not okay. After waking up, Loki nearly tried to attack everyone, until he saw the Valkyrie again and she told him no one meant any harm. Then they proceeded to tell him about Asgard, which resulted in having to tell him that Karai was a Muspel, Loki became enraged and demanded to see Thor. Of course, they let him. And Thor was confused as to why his brother remembered nothing, but didn’t hesitate to tell him how their parents were now both dead and that Karai had saved them all from their evil older sister, Hela. They had begged Thor beforehand not to mention the fact that Loki was adopted and half Jotun, and despite not being happy about being held captive at the moment, he agreed that would be too much for his brother to endure in one day.

Loki eventually demanded to go to New Asgard so that he could rule until his brother’s release.

“Though I still don’t feel you mortals have the capability of holding a god, I’m sure New Asgard has yet to establish a proper justice system.” Loki didn’t exactly seem upset that Thor was imprisoned, which worried them all a little. If he had no memory of everything he had done and endured, would he revert to the way he had been before? Would he have plans for ruling Midgard? Or the Nine Realms? There was no way to be certain, so it was decided that Nat and Clint would stay in New Asgard for now to keep an eye on things.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 weeks went by without incident. The Muspels were happy to be back home, though Stephen had yet to make an appearance again so Karai had no way of checking on Willow. She had to trust that she’d trained her daughter enough to handle herself. The weeks had gone by in a blur for Karai. She hadn’t done much except come and feed Gabe and take him hunting. The first week, she’d actually asked her sons to take Gabe hunting for her. She felt empty and useless. Like despite trying so hard, she’d failed Loki and now she’d lost him for good. The team was beginning to get worried. She hadn’t even come to help interrogate Thor, and the bags under her eyes told them she wasn’t sleeping anymore. Tony, Steve, and Bucky stood outside of her door, arguing about who was going to talk to her finally.

“I don’t want to do it! You do it! She’s your ‘big sister’! And you’re both ancient. Obviously you have more experience with losing people...No offense.”

“None taken, but just cause we’ve experienced a lot doesn’t mean we’re what she needs. You actually are her family! She helped raise you!” Their bickering wasn’t as silent as they thought however.

“Will you all just cut it out and get in here and say what you have to already? I’m trying to watch Murder, She Wrote!” Karai called from inside of her room and the three of them looked like guilty children as they opened the door and made their way in. What they saw broke their heart. They’d never seen her look so broken. Karai was curled up on her couch, Gabe laying beside her trying to comfort her the best he could. Snack and food wrappers of various kinds were strewn across the room as she watched tv. She hadn’t even slept in her bed in weeks, it smelled too much like Loki, and she couldn’t find it in her heart to just change the sheets. Her eyes had dark circles under them and they still looked a little red, her curly hair was a mess on her head and she knew it would take hours, and lots of conditioner, just to get the tangles out.

“What can I do for you boys?”

“Uhh, we wanted to see if you were up for game night?” Bucky asked while nervously shoving his hands in his pockets.

“No thanks. You guys have fun. I want to finish this season.” Tony looked at her worriedly.

“Are you sure, aunt Kar? You know we haven’t seen you much lately. Everybody’s kinda worried. You even missed your movie night with the kid and Wade last week.”

“Wait, was that last week? Ugh! I’m sorry! Tell Peter I promise I’ll make it up to him. I’m fine really, I’ve just been enjoying some time on my own is all. You know I’m not used to living with so many people anymore, Tones.” Karai sat up on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest and Gabe moved off, allowing the gentlemen to take a seat.

“Listen, aunt Kar, I know this is tough, but you gotta get over it, alright?”

“He’s right, Karai. This could only be temporary, or it could be permanent, but the fact is you are still the same strong person you were before Loki. What would Natasha say right now if she saw you sulking over a man?” Steve smirked and a smile crept onto Karai’s face.

“She’d say woman up or she’ll choke the sense back into me.” Karai ran a hand over her face letting out a sigh.

“Alright, I’ll come to game night for a little while.”

“And?” She rolled her eyes.

“And I’ll start coming out of my room and help interrogate Thor tomorrow.” They both smiled at her.

“Good. He won’t tell us shit and it's starting to get on our nerves. Keeps going on and on singing some Asgardian song. Driving me fucking nuts.” They gave her a hug before leaving and Karai began the challenge that was combing her hair.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game night had been a lot more fun than Karau expected. Some of her children had even come over and joined in. It had consisted of Mario Kart, Karaoke, Just Dance, Charades, and lots of alcohol. Sure none of the alcohol worked on her, but watching everyone else drunk was hilarious. 

Karai woke up the next morning feeling a bit better, after showering, she made her way to the kitchen feeling refreshed and renewed. As if a switch had been flipped and life started for her once again. She had begun cooking breakfast for Gabe, when a sudden wave of nausea hit her. The smell of the meat was overwhelming her nose and she nearly gagged. She took off towards the nearest bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach. It confused her really. Gabe’s meat had never smelt like that to her. She figured it had to have gone bad. She returned to the kitchen to now find Tony, Pepper, Sam, and Peter there. 

“Morning, hotstuff.”

“Morning. Hey, did the freezer go out at all this week?” Tony looked at her puzzled.

“No. Friday would tell me if something malfunctioned. Why?”

“It’s just that, Gabe’s meat has gone bad.” She picked it up and quickly held the bag as far away from her as possible.

“Gross. Don’t you smell that? It’s gone rancid.” Tony, as well as Sam and Pepper leaned in to smell it and all shook their heads ‘No’.

“I don’t smell anything, K.”

“Are you kidding me? It’s so strong. Smells like dried, crusted over blood on a dead body that’s been left in the sun for a week.” Peter suddenly dropped his spoon in his bowl, looking a little pale.

“I-I think I’m done. I better get to school.” The boy made his way out of the kitchen, Karai giving him an apologetic look for ruining his appetite. Sam stood up and took the meat from Karai’s hand.

“Well, it doesn’t look or smell like anything is wrong with it, and we know it’s still fresh since you just got it a couple days ago. If it’s really bothering you that bad, I can cook it?” Karai’s eyes lit up.

“Really Sam? That’d be great.”

“Sure, I'm a pretty good cook. Just walk me through how you prepare it.” She sat on the opposite counter, walking Sam through how to season it without overwhelming it for Gabe. She’d had to hold her nose for a while, still being able to smell the blood and forced herself not to gag. After Gabe had eaten, she was finally able to relax as the smell dissipated from the room. 

“Thanks so much again, Sam. I owe ya one.” He shot her a wink before going back to his seat. Karai’s appetite felt so finicky now that all she could seem to bear the smell of was fresh fruit. She pulled out strawberries, blueberries, and some raspberries and mixed her up a small fruit salad. Pepper’s eyes perked up at the sight.

“Wow, Karai, that looks a lot better than coffee.” Pepper got up and made herself the same thing, humming in delight at the sweet and fresh taste.

“Fruit seems to be the only thing that I can handle when my stomach is like this.” Pepper looked at her curiously.

“Does this happen often? I thought you couldn’t get sick?” Karai shook her head.

“Actually my kind can, but only by a senge worm, a Muspel form of flu. I haven’t had it since I’ve been on Midgard though. In fact the only times I ever felt like this while living here were my pregnancies.” Karai said it so nonchalantly, but all three of them looked at her, eyes wide. She rolled her eyes at them.

“Guys, trust me, that’s not the case. Anyway, I just went off realm for the first time in 800 years. It could be a delayed repercussion. I’ll stop by Bruce’s lab later and see if he can find anything.” She told them reassuringly. They looked uncertain but simply nodded and went about finishing breakfast.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Norns! I beg you! Make it stop!” Thor’s booming voice carried around the room that his cell was in as he continued to sing the Asgardian song. He refused to talk to anyone and only stopped singing while eating and when everyone left the room. Karai understood every word he said, but none of it made sense.

‘ _ The end it comes and you will know, when the fire lights; _

_ The skies grow dark and wind will blow like a winter’s night; _

_ The Sun and Moon will birth a child and with it shall bring, _

_ The end of time and suffering or life and peace for you and me; _

_ So, child grow in the light, don’t let the evil rise; _

_ For you’re the key to eternity and will save our lives. _

_ ASK ME THE RIGHT QUESTION!’ _

It irritated Karai beyond comprehension. The ending didn’t even sound like it was a part of the song. He just kept shouting it! Finally Karai had had enough and asked a random question.

“Who is the damn child? The one born of the Sun and Moon?!” Karai knew that most Asgardian melodies had a story behind them, perhaps this one did too. Thor suddenly stopped and everyone looked at him in anticipation.

“That, lady Karai, is a good question. The child is yet to be born you see, for this song is not a song, but a prophecy.” Karai rolled her eyes at his rhyme.

“Who is the prophecy about than? And why do you keep singing it?” He looked at her, a genuine smile on his face.

“I have yet to find out exactly who, but the Fire and Sun are a Muspel, the wind and Moon are a Jotun. This prophecy was foretold not long after we were told of Ragnarok.” Everyone gradually thought over his words and Karai’s eyes widened in realization.

“You did this to try and prevent the child from being born, didn’t you?” He simply nodded and Karai couldn’t help the anger that bubbled up. The bastard was turning into his damn father! She hit the glass of his cell out of nowhere and her wings popped out. Thor visibly flinched from the surprise, but the glass didn’t budge.

“You idiot! You sent my family to Jotunheim to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and now my daughter is a fucking diplomat there, and Loki doesn’t remember shit! You could have spared us all of this fucking trouble by just telling us your concern! It’s not like we wouldn’t have listened. No matter how hard I fought to avoid it, Ragnarok came to pass, didn’t it? We would’ve had no choice but to listen!” The glass shook under Karai’s hand and for a second Tony was worried it might actually break. Karai stepped away, leaving a dumbstruck Thor behind. She paused at the doorway and looked back one last time.

“For an older brother, you’re a complete dick. I can understand why he would want to forget you misleading and betraying him so many times. I’d be too heartbroken.” with that, she left.

They all met back in one of Tony’s labs after the team had gotten a few more answers out of Thor.

“So, now what do we do with Thor?”

“I’m not sure.” Karai shrugged. They had the answers that they wanted, but they couldn’t just release him, he’d probably try something stupid again.

“Maybe we can put that collar on him again and keep him in the compound? That way he’d have a little freedom, but we’d keep a close eye on him.” The team nodded in agreement with Bucky’s idea. Suddenly a sparking circle appeared in the middle of the room and Dr. Strange stepped through.

“Great! You’re all here! I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that I found out what happened to our timeline, the bad news is that out of 300 billion outcomes, we now have a 6% chance of surviving this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont forget to leave kudos and subscribe!


	13. There's something you should know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is the new fate of the universe? Shocking new developments cause Karai to act irrationally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! First update in over a month, sorry it's taken so long. I've been really caught up with not only my love life, but also dealing with things regarding my career and it hasn't been easy. Thank you all for being so patient! I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to post again, but hopefully it won't be over a month again. I haven't given up on this! Still inspired and thriving, just busy lol.

The air in the room was tense as Stephen explained what had happened. He’d been recently visiting a place in the universe that he now considered his favorite. It was quiet and beautiful, surrounded by the most gorgeous landscape Stephen had ever seen. While there, he’d become a little careless and decided to consult the Time Stone without putting up a protective barrier just in case. Someone had been there with him the entire time. 

“I used the Time Stone to replay what had happened that day and this is what I saw.” A projection of green appeared in the middle of the room showing everyone what had happened that day. There stood clear as day not far from Stephen, the same man Karai had seen in Niflheim when rescuing Loki. She quickly told them all what she had seen that day and Stephen stood there in thought.

“Hmm, he’s the one responsible for so much of this. We have to find out who he is fast.” He turned to leave, but Karai pulled him back.

“Wait! My daughter! I have to see her, there is something important she has to know!” Strange hesitated for a moment, but nodded and opened another portal. Karai didn’t hesitate to jump through, not even noticing Gabe following her. The guards had led them right into the court where Byleistr, Willow, and some other Jotuns seemed to be in a meeting. Willow’s eyes widened with the sudden appearance of her mother, asked to be excused and then briskly walked to Karai and pulled her into a tight hug. Karai couldn’t believe how beautiful Willow looked in traditional Jotun clothing. She wore a dark, floor length skirt that had slits up each side, a matching crop top that was lined with gold embellishments and she wore bangles along her arms. Her long hair done in braids and her hands were turned to rock as well as her mother’s insignia on her chest was on display, proudly reminding everyone of who and what she was.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“I don’t have long, I just need to speak with you a moment.” Willow looked confused but nodded. She turned and informed the court that she would return very shortly and then led Karai into the halls.

Karai quickly went about explaining what Thor had said and stressed her concern of Willow being in Jotunheim. It was only met with a hearty laugh.

“Mom, I don’t think you have to worry about me having any kids. I may be young, but I’m still firm in my decision of never having children. Besides, someone has already caught my eye.” Willow smiled as a blush rose in her cheeks and Karai raised an eyebrow at her daughter in confusion. At that moment a tall Jotun woman passed them in the hall. She exuded strength and confidence, and could easily intimidate anyone. She stopped at the sight of Willow and hid the smile that tried to creep onto her face.

“Princess Willow.” She said with a bow of her head.

“General Angrboda.” Willow bowed her head as well, not being so successful in hiding her smile.

“I’d like you to meet my mother, Karai Surtrsdottir, Queen of the Muspels.” the general turned and bowed to Karai who seemed a bit caught off guard.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty. I have heard many good things about you and I have to say, it was an honor fighting on the battlefield along with you. Your reluctance to slay Farbauti will forever be remembered as the greatest act of peace that our realm has ever seen.”

“I-I thank you. I could not have rescued my family without your help. I am forever grateful for the sacrifice you made.” Angrboda nodded and turned to leave, her eyes lingering on Willow for a bit before leaving.

Karai still looked in shock as she turned to Willow, who was biting her lip nervously. Karai just started to laugh. She had remembered that Willow’s partner had not come with the family to the Avengers Compound, and she later found out that the two had broken up.

“Oh, all I care about is your happiness, baby bear. I’m glad you’re moving on already. I have to go now. I’ll try to keep in touch.” She kissed her daughter’s head and then her and her wolf companion made their way back through Stephen’s portal and Karai thanked him as he closed it.

“Well then, if that’s all, I have to be on my way.” Stephen turned to leave and Karai grabbed his arm once again.

“Stephen, what happens in those outcomes where we come out of this the victors?” He gave her a sad smile.

“If I tell you, they won’t happen.” And then he left.

The team sat in silence for a moment. All trying to process the events of the day.

“Maybe we can-” Sam had started when Peter came rushing into the room.

“Ms.Karai! Aniya! Her baby’s coming!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the Compound’s Med bay team, Karai’s daughters that were all experienced mothers, and Karai herself, Aniya’s baby came along without any complications. They had eventually all kicked out the med bay staff, saying the room was over crowded, and the Muspel women took to the delivery like it was second nature.

“Aniya! It’s a boy! Oh he’s gorgeous!” Jacari held the small boy as the other women continued to work. She cleaned up the baby and had lost track of time as she held him until several throats cleared, snapping her out of her trance.

“Uhh ‘Cari, Can I hold my baby?” Aniya finally asked, looking at her sister slightly amused. Jacari handed over the baby, saying she expected full Auntie and Nephew time in 2 days.

The birth of her new grandson warmed Karai’s heart, remembering each time she’d held her children like that. Remembering each and every labor pain. Remembering the look on Julfr’s face every time. He still didn’t stop passing out until their 10th child. She chuckled at the memory.

“Alright, everyone out, let’s give the happy couple some privacy to welcome their new edition to the family.” Karai went about ushering the rest of the girls out to leave Aniya and her husband to welcome their new son.

Out in the hall, Karai’s sons and sons-in-law, all stood awaiting the news, and were overjoyed to hear that they had another nephew. The family spent the rest of the evening celebrating the continuation of the Muspel lineage, the team even joining in the festivities. There was nothing like a good party to help everyone forget about the current situation, and if anyone knew how to throw a positively outrageous party, even last minute, it was Tony Stark.

\-------------------------------------------Time Skip cause why not!------------------------------------------

3 days went by after the birth of Karai’s new grandson. The team had had an idea. They happened to be good friends with Professor Charles Xavier, who just so happened to be a phenomenal telepath. Wanda had mentioned that she wasn’t strong enough to break down the walls in Loki’s mind to release his memory, but perhaps Charles was. The next week, Karai and Bucky decided to pay the school a visit and possibly enlist the Professor’s help. Karai had felt off all morning. For the past week, she’d been unable to cook Gabe’s food without rushing off to the bathroom sick and Sam (god bless his soul) had gladly taken on the responsibility. She’d told Bruce about being sick and possibly contracting some kind of Jotun flu, but he assured her that she was as healthy as ever, which to say the least, confused them both. He’d told her he would run some more tests and let her know the results. 

But as they made their way inside the school, Karai quickly asked for the direction of a bathroom and rushed off as the nausea grew too overwhelming once again. She returned minutes later, worry obviously etched across her face, but Bucky chose to say nothing as they made their way to Xavier’s office.

The meeting was very pleasant, Charles agreeing to help without hesitation, the only thing they had to do was bring Loki to the school.

“I assume you notice that my age is beginning to catch up with me. I don’t leave the mansion very often these days and I am needed here, but if you can bring him in, I’ll be happy to help in any way that I can.” After their meeting, the professor had asked them to join him for lunch and refused to take no for an answer. He led them to a balcony where a table and chairs were set up, food piled onto the table. The three laughed and exchanged stories as they ate, Bucky feeling surprisingly comfortable to talk to the older man. It had been a quiet moment of them all just looking out at the lands of the school, watching the students play and study and practice their abilities, when suddenly Charles started to chuckle. It was short and low at first, but then he did it again, full on laughing at nothing in particular. Bucky and Karai looked at each other in confusion.

“Professor? What’s so funny?”

“Oh it’s nothing. That little one of yours has been talking all afternoon. It’s been so happy that someone can understand it. Now it’s telling me about how it wasn’t happy with how you changed your diet recently. You went from lots of unhealthy snacks to lots of fruits.” Karai looked at him shocked and Charles looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“I apologize. I fear my age is causing me to not be able to hold my tongue as much.”

“Charles...are you saying I’m... pregnant?” The Professor looked at her seriously and nodded. Karai sat back in her chair in complete shock, Bucky sitting next to her, trying to comfort her to the best of his ability. Their attention was drawn to Karai’s phone as it went off in her pocket and she saw Bruce’s name on her screen.

_ ‘Results are in! Call me when you leave the school! IT’S URGENT!’ _

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karai sat in Bruce’s lab holding the results to the test. She was pregnant, though Charles talking to the unborn child was a little hard to deny, now looking at the results made it all the more real. 

“I’m telling you Karai, this was probably one of my biggest stupid moments yet. You displayed all the symptoms of a woman carrying a child, and yet I never thought to run the test! I ran tests on your blood for hours, trying to see if there was anything that was not there the last time you let me sample your blood. There was nothing. Finally I was reading through some of the results and I noticed your hcg levels were at 40 and then it hit me! The mom of all mom’s is about to bring another kid into the world, and unless there is something that I don’t know about, will be of two different species, one of fire decent and the other of ice! This is a scientific breakthrough! Unless of course, Loki isn’t the father. Which I won’t judge if he’s not, I’m still extremely happy for you!”

Karai hadn’t heard a word Bruce said. He kept rambling on and she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was pregnant. How?! She didn’t even think it was possible anymore. And to make matters worse, the would be father doesn’t even remember her. At the mention of Loki’s name she snapped her head up at Bruce and he quieted his rambling as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m trying to see how this is such a happy occasion, Bruce? I’m pregnant with an interspecies baby who is now supposedly destined to end the Universe if led along the wrong path, and the father doesn’t just not remember me, but he is in no way fond of me whatsoever. To him right now, I’m just some monster that destroyed his perfect home. And to make matters worse, we may have a possible impending doom on our hands if we don’t figure out who this guy is that wiped Loki’s memory!” Karai held her head in her hands as everything was beginning to overwhelm her.

“I don’t even understand how this is possible. My monthly visitors stopped like 400 years ago. I thought having so many kids at such a young age decommissioned me early. I thought I was done, Banner.” Bruce tried to reach out to comfort her but she moved out of his reach as she stood up suddenly.

“I’m sorry, Bruce. I’m not mad at you, I just-...I need to be alone right now.” Karai raced out of the lab without a second thought. She made her way outside and tried to wipe her eyes as she opened her wings and took off into the sky. But apparently she wasn’t so good at flying while this emotional. She barely got off the ground, her wings feeling her sadness and dropping her back to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees and groaned in frustration. She sat back on the grass, trying to think of a way to get out of the compound without going back inside. She loved everyone, but she just needed to be away for a bit. Fight or flight mode was kicking in again and for once, running away from everything just seemed like a good idea at the moment. She felt a gentle nudge at her back and then a large wet tongue licked the side of her face. She smiled a little and patted the furry head that sat down beside her.

“Hey bud, feel like going for a run?” The wolf yipped happily.

“Good. I could use a break too. Do you mind giving me a ride?” Gabe took a step back and took a moment to grow to his full size before laying down on the ground, awaiting Karai. She climbed onto his back and he ran and easily jumped over the security gate before running off into the nearby woods. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please like and subscribe!


	14. So I ran, I ran so far away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karai deals with the overall shock of all the news she has just gotten, and Gabe devises a plan to get Loki and Karai back together. Meanwhile, the team go searching for Karai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated on time! Yay! Let's hope I can do it again next week lol.

“SHE’S WHAT?!” The team stood in shock as they listened to Friday.

“Ms. Karai is nowhere on the premises, boss. She was last seen 2 days ago with her wolf, leaving the compound.”

“And security didn’t think to try and stop her or tell us?!”

“I’ve been informed that they assumed she was just going hunting as usual.”

“It waS TUESDAY!” Tony knocked over a chair as he started pacing back and forth. It didn’t matter that it was Tuesday, the security wouldn’t have questioned any of the team leaving anyway.

“Start running a thorough scan on all security footage in a 100 mile radius.”

“I’m on it , Boss.” Pepper walked over and placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“She couldn’t have left the country, she left all of her stuff here. And there is only so far that Gabe can run.” Tony sighed as he sat down.

“I know, but I think we forget that she has wings now. Fuck, how’d she get so over powered, for god’s sake?!”

“That would be the writer’s fault, dear Mr.Stark.” Everyone turned their heads to the sound of the random voice. A very relaxed looking deadpool was sitting in the corner on a table in the lab that they were all gathered in.

“Wilson, what the fuck are you doing here?” Sam piped up.

“Hurtful, fellow Wilson. I thought you were my brother from another mother?” Sam rolled his eyes at the merc. Wade slid off the table, earning a ‘cut it out!’ from Tony when he almost touched something.

“I knew you guys couldn’t keep Karai safe and sound so I came here once I realized she was missing after not getting my good night text from her two whole nights in a row.” Just then, Peter came running into the lab.

“Wade! If you’re going to come over, you can’t go crawling through the vents so you can snoop through Mr.Stark’s stuff!” Peter stopped as he realized the lab was full.

“H-Hi Mr.Stark. Umm, is it okay if Wade comes over?” Tony rolled his eyes at Peter ‘forgetting’ to ask if he could invite over the merc. Everyone turned and looked at Wade again.

“Okay, so I was crawling through the vents and I overheard you. But, it only confirmed a suspicion I had. The only time Karai has ever missed my goodnight texts was when she went to Asgard! I convinced Spideyboy to let me come over so I could check on her.”

“Wait, is something wrong with Ms.Karai?” Everyone cringed, all not wanting to tell him, except Wade.

“She’s been missing for two days after she escaped Mononoke style.” The whole room glared at him and he just raised his hands up in defense.

“What? Not a fan of Ghibli? Or are you more of a Totoro fan? I personally want to ride the dragon from Spirited Away.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two whole days. Karai was still unsure why she’d left in the first place, but that’s how long she’d been away. Traveling by forest and tree expanse only meant that Karai had no way of knowing where they were unless she decided to fly around, which she didn’t bother with, she trusted Gabe. He’d been opting to stay in his larger form majority of the time, only changing on rare occasions when they were closer to civilization and had a greater chance of being spotted. He’d stuck to hunting while they traveled, but made sure to help find drinkable water and edible berries that Karai could eat. He was treating her as his pack, and she was. The only pack he’d ever known, which is why he was leading her to the one person missing from their pack. She’d never know, but Gabe had been able to smell Loki from all the way back at the compound (ancient wolf god sense of smell) and had been secretly following it this entire time. He was in his smaller form, carrying a sleeping Karai on his back as he reached the outskirts of New Asgard. People looked shocked as they watched the wolf carry its master through the city. He could clearly hear them murmuring

_ ‘is she dead?!’ ‘I hope so, it’d do us all a favor.’ ‘Look at that! The monster is being carried by the mutt!’ ‘You should have seen her battle, before she grew to a giant. With that wolf mutt at her side, it was like looking at Hela all over again!’  _

Gabe growled at the way they talked about his mother and companion. If he could talk, he’d tell them all what for. Karai was a hero who sacrificed her life in the end to save him and Loki. 

_ ‘Loki’ _ the wolf thought.

The closest thing he’d had to having a father. Wade was friendly, and Peter was nice and took care of him when Karai was away, but Loki helped look after and protect him for those few short months. He even turned into a wolf and played with him. Then he tried to teach him games. Gabe had known after meeting Karai that she was his life companion. He’d remain loyal to her forever, even after death. But, he’d never thought that he’d get two masters, two companions. He’d had the one thing he always dreamed of, a family. And now, he was going to be a big brother. He was going to have to protect the little one to come. He’d be forever loyal to all three of them. But right now, his family was broken and he had to figure out how to fix it.

He made his way through the city, following Loki’s scent until they reached a building that one would assume was being used as a court of sorts at the moment. Gabe made his way to the door and began scratching at it. He whined some, careful not to stir Karai who was still sound asleep. He kept scratching until the door opened and Loki stood at it.

“What in god’s name is that?” Loki expected it to be some children playing some prank, what he didn’t expect to see was a 4 foot tall wolf carrying a person on its back. The wolf looked up at him with sad puppy eyes and Loki looked at the wolf sympathetically. He’d always had a great love for animals, wolves especially. They were prized in Asgard for a reason and this one by far seemed to be the most magnificent he’d ever seen.

“What is it? Is your master hurt? This is not the healing wing. It’s over there. Come along, I’ll lead you.” Loki moved to step past Gabe and he growled a little. Loki looked at him confused and tried again only to be met with the same response.

“I can’t help if you don’t let me through.” The wolf shook his head ‘no’ and Loki scoffed in annoyance.

“What do you want from me, then?” Gabe carefully placed a large paw on Loki’s foot and he took a moment to understand what the wolf was trying to convey.

“You want me to help?” Gabe yipped happily and Loki furrowed his brow.

“But I’m not a healer and my powers of healing magic are limited. You do better off going to the healers.” Gabe groaned in response and Loki scoffed before sighing.

“Very well, come in wolf. I will see what I can do for your master.” He stepped aside and let Gabe make his way in. The room looked like more of an office than a court, but it was a start. Loki summoned some blankets and laid them out on the floor.

“Over here, we can lay your master on these.” Loki lifted the woman off the wolf’s back and laid her onto the blankets. He was shocked when he finally saw her face and anger rose as he looked at the wolf.

“You’re master is the bloody Muspel? You expect me to help her after what she’s done?” Gabe just laid down on the floor, looking up at Loki with his most sincere puppy dog eyes. He was thankful that Karai was such a sound sleeper when she hasn’t slept in 30 days. Loki felt his resolve crumbling as he stared into the wolf’s eyes. Something in them just made him feel like he couldn’t say ‘no’ and there was an odd sense of familiarity with it.

“Fine, I’ll help, but after she recovers you must take her and go. The people of New Asgard are not fond of her and I’m still unsure where I stand.” Gabe sat up, wagging his tail, and licked Loki in gratitude.

“Disgusting! Never do that again!” He tried to scold the wolf, who seemed unphased by his reprimand, but deep down Loki enjoyed the affection. 

“Alright, let’s take a look, shall we?”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say Loki was annoyed was an understatement. The Muspel hadn’t even been injured, just exhausted beyond belief. He wondered how long she’d been asleep already before they arrived. It didn’t matter though, as soon as she awoke, he was sending her away. He couldn’t help looking at her sleeping form on occasions. Gabe was laying right next to her, never leaving her side, yet watching Loki the entire time. Her caramel skin looked radiant as her unruly curls fell around her face. She looked like the picture of innocence. A small smile graced his lips as he thought about how this small, innocent looking Muspel, somehow struck fear into warriors that had fought monsters over 5 times her size. Karai stirring from her sleep snapped Loki out of his trance. He hardened his expression and looked down at the papers sat before him on his desk.

Karai woke up feeling well rested and slightly dazed. That was the best sleep she’d had in a long time and she wondered how long she was out for. She suddenly realized that she wasn’t at home, nor in the woods where she’d fallen asleep. Her heartbeat quickened and Gabe came and plopped himself in her lap to calm her. 

“That’s a very loyal wolf you have there.” The all too familiar voice coming from behind her caught her off guard. She mentally cursed herself and glared at Gabe, knowing he had something to do with this.

“Yes, well. I’ve had him for twenty years now. I’m the only family he’s ever known.”

“He’s the child of a god.”

“What?” Karai turned around, slightly taken aback.

“Your wolf. He’s the child of a god.” Karai sighed in relief. She’d thought for a minute he was referring to another child that only she knew was currently in the room.

“Oh yes. A son of Fenrir. The ancient wolf god that Gabe had the pleasure of killing.” Karai said it with a smile of fondness as she scratched his head. It took her a moment to realize that Loki was staring at her with a quirked brow. She cleared her throat.

“I apologize for imposing. I suppose I fell asleep and when I didn’t wake up fast enough, he assumed something was wrong. He probably followed your scent from when you were at the Avengers Compound.” Loki looked at her, gaze narrowed, trying to divulge the lie and coming up short.

“Yes, I suppose. You slept rather long. He brought you here in the early morning. You didn’t even awaken when we moved you.” Karai laughed nervously.

“I’m sorry. I don’t sleep a lot and when I do, it’s hard to wake me up.” Loki nodded in understanding and went back to writing something on his desk. Karai stood up to leave when he spoke up again.

“Why have you been in the woods?” He didn’t even look up from his papers.

“W-What?”

“You should know that I am the god of lies so it would be unwise to try and lie to me. Why have you been in the woods? Have you been scouting the land around New Asgard so that you can attack again?” His words held a hint of malice.

“N-No! I’m not-...I wouldn’t do something like that, I’m…. I was..” She stumbled trying to find the words to say. Loki stood up sharply, stepping from behind his desk and looked down at her.

“Answer the question, Muspel. Are you planning on attacking New Asgard?” She looked up at him, part of her wanting to just wrap her arms around him, but then the thought that he didn’t remember her returned and she felt her heart grow heavy. She narrowed her gaze at him.

“No. I’d never do anything like that. It was never my intention to destroy Asgard in the first place. I had no choice. It was the only way that you Asgardians could escape. I didn’t even destroy it by myself. The damage on it from Hela and myself rendered the realm weak and it crumbled. Gabe and I were stuck on Asgard. The Tesseract got us home and then it was given to Thor who used it to try and kill my family and myself. I’m a Muspel and I’m a highly trained killer, but I don’t shed innocent blood.” Loki replayed her words over and over again in his head. He wanted to find a lie. He had to. There was no way that this creature was innocent. Yet, a small part of him was glad that she was innocent?

“You know how to choose your words wisely, I’ll give you that. But, that still doesn't explain why you have been in the woods.” Karai clenched her jaw in frustration. His arrogant and condescending attitude was getting on her nerves.

“I was running, okay?”

“No, not okay. What were you running for?”

“Why does it matter to you so much?”

“Because if you are running from something then I need to know in case it is something that could pose a threat to me.” Loki stated matter of factly and Karai just rolled her eyes.

“I ran from the Avengers Compound! I wanted to get away for awhile, so I unintentionally ran away for two days.” Karai was pissed off. He didn’t have to know her business...so why was she telling him? Loki smirked at how angry she looked.

“My you are a feisty little one? Very well, what happened with your Avengers? Did those little mortals take something of yours?” He was making fun of her now. He found her anger amusing.

“No. They’re alright. However, someone else did leave me with an unexpected responsibility that I now have to deal with on my own.” Loki just chuckled as he sat back in his seat.

“And what responsibility is that? Cleaning up after yourself?” Karai held back any kind of tears that threatened to build up. She calmed her anger down and decided ‘what the hell’ it was his kid anyway. He at least has a right to know that it exists, even if she refuses to tell him that it’s his right now. She smirked at him.

“Actually, my dear lover left me with his unborn child. Now I have no choice but to await his return, that’s if he ever returns.” Karai fought off the sting that the last words left in her heart. Loki’s face fell at her confession. He had not been expecting that.

“Well, that is rather unfortunate. Whoever this man is sounds like a coward.” Karai fought back the urge to laugh.

“Indeed, but I love him anyway. If he doesn’t return, I’ll raise the child the very best that I can. I have a rather large support team.” She smiled at the thought. She knew she could do this. She’d do it all, and she wasn’t alone. Loki didn’t let the effect her smile had on him show. It lit something inside of him that he was unsure of. He cleared his throat, bringing his attention back to reality.

“Very well, Muspel. Since your stories check out, you are free to go. I wish you luck on your journey into parenthood.” Karai laughed a little.

“This is actually my 19th time becoming a parent, but thanks.” Loki’s eyes went wide and he was about to say something when Nat and Clint came bursting through the door.

“Loki! Me and Clint have to leave. Karai’s gone missing and-.... Karai?” Nat stood there, her expression a mixture of shock and confusion. Karai waved at the two awkwardly.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Natasha and Clint ended up walking Karai back to their temporary living space, which was a small cottage not far from the court. They sat her down and weren’t letting her leave until she explained everything.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m not sure, C. I can’t tell him the truth for obvious reasons. Professor Xavier has offered his help, but we would have to get Loki to the school.”

“Leave that to us. We’ll convince him. He’s been curious as to why he doesn't remember anything from the past few years anyway. You should go back to the Compound though. Everyone is worried sick.” Karai sighed and nodded solemnly.

“I know. I have to tell them all the big news anyway. Thanks you guys. I’ll start heading back.” Karai stood up to leave, but Clint placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back into her seat.

“Oh no you don’t, K. We’re taking you back to make sure you don’t try to make another break for it.” Karai tried to look offended by Clint’s assumption, but he didn’t buy it one bit. She crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance.

“Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Like and Subscribe!


	15. Memories Light The Corners Of My Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend offers his services to help Loki regain his memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Kay is back! But not for long sadly. I am now in vocational school, which means for the next year, my schedule is full. I am not abandoning this project though! I may just be very slow to update from now on. I may be able to get a post uploaded once a month, I'm gonna try really hard. Cause this story is far from over hehe.

Despite the circumstances and the threat of universal catastrophe, the team seemed overly excited of the little one to come. They started fighting over who received the titles of aunts, uncles and godparents. Thor, despite being worried about the future now, was even happy that he was going to be an uncle, adopted brother or not. He’d recently been let out of his cell and was required to stay in the Compound at all times, with the Saakarian collar on. Karai was still very wary of him, but aside from attempting to wipe out Karai and her family, he’d done nothing wrong. They knew they couldn’t keep him locked up forever, and eventually people would start to question why Thor was not seen. Loki had been doing a top notch job of running New Asgard, things had been settled among all the people and now everyone was working together to build their city and it didn’t surprise Thor in the slightest. Loki had always been better at things like politics. Asgard flourished under his rule before, and now New Asgard would do the same. Nat and Clint had told the team that Loki still refused to take on the title of King, still referring to Thor as the King, which caught everyone by surprise, except Karai. If anything, it sparked a bit of hope inside her.

Her attitude had been completely different since returning to the Compound. Everyone had expected her to be a bit distant and depressed, but she seemed the exact opposite. She was cheerful and excited, talking to Pepper whenever the CEO had questions for ‘future reference’. The change in her attitude had all been due to her conversation with Loki. She realized on the car ride back that this was how he’d acted towards her when they’d first met. It brought back fond memories and gave Karai a new outlook. That perhaps if he never regained his memories, maybe if given the time he would fall for her again. It was a bit far fetched but it gave Karai a little peace of mind.

A week had gone by since Karai and Gabe’s visit to New asgard. Nat and Clint had somehow managed to convince Loki to meet with Professor Xavier at least once. He’d been completely against it originally, saying something about Midgardians not being capable of handling the mind of a god. However, his curiosity of everything he’d missed bagan to outweigh his doubts and, and with the absence of his mother, eventually he consented, but with the condition that Thor was present and uncollared temporarily in case something went wrong. They had all gathered at the X-men mansion, Charles happy and ready to help.

“I’m Professor Charles Xavier, it’s a pleasure to meet you Loki.” Loki shook the older man’s hand, Charles could hear his thoughts practically screaming that this was a bad idea.

“I understand your concerns and I can assure you, I am well acquainted with the aspects of the mind and you are in good hands. I’ve helped many people regain their memories. You have nothing to fear.” Loki wasn’t sure if it was his own doing, or the work of the professor, but he instantly felt calmer. 

“Then, let’s get to work, shall we?” Charles called for someone and two people entered the room. A rugged looking man who looked like he enjoyed fighting bears for a living and a beautiful redhead woman.

“I’d like to introduce you all to Ms.Grey and Mr.Howlett, resident teachers here at the school. Ms.Grey possesses similar abilities to mine and is here to lend a helping hand if it is called for. And Mr.Howlett is just an old friend of mine that wanted to overlook the procedure.”

“And to see my favorite girl, Kar!” He made his way over to Karai, picking her up as he hugged her and causing her to squeal.

“Hey Lo! How ya been? Still chasing Jean?”

“Shut it bub, her and foureyes got married a while ago.”

“Oh, so he finally beat you?”

“Ya know what-”

“Excuse me you two, but if it’s alright could we save this reunion until after we are done?” Charles said with a quirked eyebrow, causing the two to apologize and try and hold back their sniggers like two troublesome kids.

Loki was asked to lie on a table and relax. Charles came up and placed his hands on the god’s temples and the room grew completely silent. Half an hour had gone by and it seemed like things were going smoothly, until Charles started to show signs of distress. From the looks of it, it seemed he was under attack inside the recesses of Loki’s mind. Jean didn’t hesitate to step into action. This had happened once before while they were going through Logan’s mind. She placed a hand on the Professor’s shoulder and dove in, only to return seconds later. 

“Ms.Maximoff, the professor has requested your assistance as well.” Wanda was hesitant at first, but stepped forward and dove into Loki’s mind as well. The two women now stood surrounded by some kind of red creatures that were trying to attack professor Xavier, who was nearly done with breaking down the barrier in Loki’s mind.

“Ah, ladies wonderful timing. Jean if you would?” Jean nodded and began attacking the red creatures and the professor turned to Wanda.

“Ms.Maximoff, allow me to fill you in. Those are the things that built this infernal wall and are it’s defense mechanism. I’m almost done here but we seemed to have run into another problem.” Suddenly the ground shook and Xavier pointed into the dark distance of Loki’s mind where an army of Loki’s seemed to be charging towards them.

“Loki being a possessor of sorcery, has a very strong defense for his mind as well and it appears that it has identified us as a threat. I need you to project a fond memory into Loki’s mind. You saw into his mind before this, I need you to find a way to calm him and quickly so he knows we’re not a threat.” The Professor left no room for argument, turning back to the task of breaking the wall and Wanda tried her best to begin conjuring memories and projecting them into Loki’s mind. She started with one from his childhood of him and his mother. The young Loki was having a magic lesson with his mother and smiling as she praised him. It seemed to slow down the army, until Odin showed up in the memory and began reprimanding Loki for missing his training session that he and Thor had that afternoon. The ground shook violently again.

“Perhaps try another one?” Wanda nodded and tried another memory. 

This one of him and Thor laughing boisterously and celebrating after returning from a battle. The army stopped in their tracks this time, Loki’s defenses lowering. Then, it was ruined when memory Thor and his friends began mocking Loki and he grew angry. The ground shook even harder this time. Wanda looked over at the professor, he was almost there. They just needed a little more time. Wanda tried to think quickly. Something that would relax him and he doesn’t resent. Suddenly she projected the memory of Loki and Karai laying under the stars and watching the meteor shower in Norway. She’d remember this memory well and knew exactly when to cut it off. It should be just enough time for them to finish. She looked to the army and they had disappeared. His defenses had lowered entirely as he welcomed the memory with Karai, or perhaps this was more of a fantasy for him now. Wanda was caught off guard when the Professor placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see him and Jean smiling beside her.

“That’ll do Ms.Maximoff. Our work here is done.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone sat in nervous anticipation, awaiting everyone’s return. Thor gripped Strombreaker tighter in his hand as he saw Loki’s brows furrow. Karai still didn’t feel comfortable around him and started fiddling with her fingers. Both Steve and Bucky picked up on her unease, and moved to sit on either side of her protectively. Tony had an eye on Thor at all times as well. All of their focus was drawn back to the task at hand when Wanda, Jean, and Charles opened their eyes again. They all were quiet as they awaited for Loki to awaken. He soon began to open his eyes and they all let out a breath of relief. Loki, however, seemed confused and a bit disappointed.

“I’m sorry but I still have no recollection of what has happened over the past few years.” Charles simply smiled.

“That is quite normal. Your memories were being blocked by a very strong force. They will return to you gradually over time. It could be days, months, or even years, but rest assured, they have been freed and you will regain them.” Loki nodded and expressed his gratitude before being led out along with the team. Karai was making her way out when Charles called out to her.

“If I could have a word with you in private?” She stayed back and waited until everyone else left.

“There are some things you should know. I saw the memories that were locked away, I won’t lie, when they return it is going to be overwhelming. The level of trauma that those memories can cause is enough to send him into a nervous breakdown. He’s going to need comfort and reassurance or he could very well lash out again like he did in New York.” She wasn’t sure how, but Karai knew that when the time came, she’d be there for him and any way she could.

“I’ll try my best Charles. Thank you again, for everything.” 

“You know I’m always happy to help a friend. There are two other things you should know.” She looked at him curiously and urged him to continue.

“While working to retrieve his memories, his mind began activating its own defense mechanism. The only thing that managed to lower his defenses enough for us to finish working was a memory of you. Whether he does remember you somewhere deep in his subconscious, or has developed a new fondness of you, I can’t tell. But something about you comforts him.” A smile crept onto Karai’s face with a slight blush.

“What’s the other thing?”

“The blockage in his mind was odd. I’ve done a few studies on black magic and this was definitely not it. I’ve never seen anything like this actually, and whatever caused it may have just been using this as a distraction. The barrier was built like a game. In all my years, I’ve never felt so mocked for choosing to help someone, like it was toying with me.” Karai felt a shiver go down her spine.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Logan volunteered to walk Karai out to the Quinjet, trying to catch up with her as much as he could in their short walk.

“So, that pretty boy is the dad? And the blondy is his adopted brother that tried to kill yer kids?”

“Mhmm.”

“Damn, Chuck wasn’t lyin when he said you’ve been through shit lately.” Karai laughed as they slowly made their way to the jet. Neither of them noticed someone staring at them, but a certain god of Mischief felt a tinge of jealousy rise as he watched her walking with the man that carried a small animalistic outlook. 

‘ _ Mine…’ _ Loki was taken aback from the thought. He wasn’t sure where it had come from and was appalled by it. Still, he didn’t like the sight of you with that man.

“Could we please get going? I have pressing matters to attend to in New Asgard.” Tony rolled his eyes and yelled out for Karai to hurry up. She quickly gave Logan a hug goodbye and ran towards the jet and he glared daggers at the man as a possessive feeling grew over him.

_ ‘Don’t you ever touch her again.’  _ His jaw was tense as the thought resonated in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave Kudos and Subscribe so you can stay notified of when I update!


	16. Even though I try, I can't let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's memories begin to return and some stunning revelations are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters tonight to make up for my lack of posts lately lol.

It was 2am when Karai’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, K? How fast do you think you and Thor can get here? We’ve got a little situation.” 

“On our way.” She hung up and quickly went to wake up Thor in his room.

It had been another two months since meeting with Xavier and after Loki woke up in the middle of the night and nearly froze over New Asgard after remembering his Jotun Heritage and killing his father, it had been arranged that they would call Karai and Thor if anything happened from now on. Thor had apologized to Loki that night for what he’d done to the Jotuns and for the first time, was actually a good big brother, staying by his side until Loki had managed to calm down enough to revert back to his Asgardian form. 

***Last visit***

_ “YOU OAF! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KEEP COMING WHEN YOU KNOW ALL THAT I AM AND WHAT I’VE DONE?! DO YOU HAVE A BLOODY DEATH WISH?!” A chair magically flew towards Thor and he dodged it as it hit the wall behind him. _

_ “Because you are my brother and I care about you!” _

_ “We are NOT brothers! I’m a stolen relic that your father kept as a spoil of war!” _

_ “We grew up together, we played together, we fought in battle together! Nothing will ever change the fact that the bond we shared is stronger than those that are brothers by blood!” _

_ “I SPENT MY LIFE IN YOUR SHADOW!” _

_ “I SPENT MY LIFE IN YOURS!” Loki looked at him taken aback. _

_ “What?” Thor hung his head and sighed. _

_ “Mother and Father were angry at you for what happened in Jotunheim, but they didn’t send you to Midgard because mother felt you never needed it. She’d told father that she could see your heart. Her insight, though limited, had foreseen you as a powerful and just ruler of the Nine Realms. This was why you received more lessons than I. Father knew my strong point was not my academics, but on the battlefield. He reprimanded you for your tricks so much because a King must know how to act accordingly, however there were times when he could not show how proud he was at how your skills in seidr grew.” _

_ “H-How do you know all of this?” Loki was shocked and what made it worse was that he couldn’t detect a lie in any of it. _

_ “I had overheard Mother and Father discussing our latest accomplishments many years ago. They had always planned to make you King, Loki. But they never told you because they wanted the rest of the Nine Realms to think it was still a fair race. The people were more fond of me and if you’d become King, there would have been outrage, especially if it came out that you were Jotun. They needed the people to warm up to you first and see you as the better candidate. Unfortunately, our trip to Jotunheim was not planned...That was why I did it. I knew if it came out you were Jotun...it would deter all of Yggdraisil. I never planned for everything else that followed....I’m sorry Loki.” _

* **End of Flashback***

The team had been keeping a close eye on Thor. He’d been gradually changing and showing to be truly sorry for everything that he’d done. Apparently being without his powers and on lockdown was proving more effective now then when Odin banished him to Midgard years prior. He had apologized profusely to Karai and though she still didn’t quite trust him, he was trying his best to earn their trust again. He’d apologized to Karai for knowing that she was with child and not saying anything sooner. He’d also offered his services whenever she needed them. Being the god of fertility, he was able to help ease some of Karai’s pregnancy pains and she was beyond grateful. The team had recently decided to finally take the collar off and so far Thor had acted accordingly, but they were still keeping an eye on him and Stormbreaker was nowhere to be seen, though they all now knew he didn’t need it.

“Lady Karai, are you in pain again?” He said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“No Thor, it's Loki. Come on.” Karai waddled out of his room, going to take another bathroom break before they left, the baby having decided that her bladder was a comfortable place to sit at two months. She was already twice the size she should be. She was only 3 months and anyone who saw her would have guessed she was probably 5 months along. Bruce, being highly fascinated with this child, had been asking Karai questions constantly and decided to work with the Medbay doctors for the entire pregnancy. After Karai had shown a substantial amount of growth at her first ultrasound, it was obvious that the frost giant dna was going to cause the baby to grow faster than average, or even Karai’s previous children.

This didn’t concern Karai one bit, she was happy as ever about her little bundle of joy. Sure she was crying at the drop of a hat, and the constant arousal she experienced was putting her on edge, especially without having Loki there. Not to mention she had a constant craving for a beef stew she had back in the 1800s and could not seem to find one that matched the flavor anywhere. Though she did come close to making it herself, it was driving her crazy.

Between Nat, Wanda, Pepper, and Karai’s daughters, the baby room she’d set up in her small apartment was full of everything the baby would need. Tony had taken the time to install some baby monitor cameras, even though Friday would alert them of anything, he put them in anyway saying ‘ _ it doesn’t hurt’ _ . Steve had taken the time to paint the baby room, he’d added the cutest cartoon versions of the entire team around the room that Karai absolutely adored. 

Sam and Bucky had yet to stop bickering over things like names and whether it was a girl or boy, or who was going to be a better uncle.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karai met Thor outside of the compound, the sky still dark as he stood beside her truck. She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion and then opened her wings.

“Lady Karai, with all due respect, I would not recommend flying that far of a distance in your condition.”

“But-”

“No ‘buts’. I’m sorry, but the others and I would feel more comfortable if you would limit the amount of flying you do.” Karai huffed in annoyance but put away her wings and hopped inside the truck. She looked in the backseat to find Gabe already there as Thor climbed in beside her.

“You sly dog, you knew all along.” Gabe tilted his head as if to feign innocence and Karai shook her head in amusement and reached back to pet his head.

“Ya big softie… Thanks for worrying.” She turned back around and started up the truck and drove out of the compound in the early morning hours.

It was roughly an hour later when they reached New Asgard, Karai having taken back roads and acting like she didn’t see the speed limit signs. The New Asgardian court house had been expanded into that of a larger house, or rather a small palace now. She pulled in front of it and the three of them climbed out of the truck, they were met at the door of the palace by Nat and Clint, who were now going back and forth to New Asgard every other week, and Korg and Miek.

“What’s it this time, guys?”

“He woke up screaming in agony. I’m guessing he’s remembered his time with Thanos. He’s refusing to talk to any of us and he’s blue again.” Nat quickly summed up, leading the way into the palace.

“At least he’s not freezing the place this time.” Nat nudged Clint in the side with her elbow. 

They passed by a room with Brunnhilde’s name etched in a gold plate next to it. Karai’s footsteps came to a stop as she stared at the door. Everyone continued down the hall except Korg who noticed Karai lingering.

“Ms.Karai, is everything alright?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah everything’s fine.” Karai slowly moved away from the door, following Korg in silence.

“Has she-...” Karai’s words trailed off and Korg knew what she was trying to say.

“I’m afraid she hasn’t returned yet, still sound asleep. Miek and I have been a bit worried, but this is Brunnhilde we’re talking about. The grandmaster’s champion couldn’t kill her.” Korg said with a smile, trying to ease Karai’s worries. She returned it, but it didn’t stop the uneasiness that she’d felt when Brunnhilde had first left.

They reached Loki’s chambers, Nat, Clint, Miek, and Gabe were stood outside as Thor was now inside, trying his very best to console his brother. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Loki, are you alright, brother?” 

“Leave, Odin _ son _ .” Loki’s room was completely dark and he was sitting in a corner of his room. The moon’s light filtering through the window allowed Thor to barely make out Loki’s figure, but he was obviously in his Jotun form. His black horns easily visibly even in the low light.

Everyone was caught off guard as Thor came hurtling through Loki’s chamber doors and into the wall.

“Either he’s very upset, or somehow the memory also triggered the mind control that Thanos had over him.” Thor scrambled to get up, cracking his neck as he stood.

“So in other words, we’ve got a New York rampage Loki on our hands?” Clint’s question was answered as Loki appeared in the doorway.

“Tell me where the Tesseract is now!” Karai put a hand on her face, sighing.

“Well at least he doesn’t have an army of Chitari this time.” Thor said, trying to make light of the situation. Suddenly an army of Lokis began appearing around them.

“No, but he’s twice as strong as he was back then and he still has full memory of how to use his abilities somehow.” Karai deadpanned and her eyes turned to flames.

“You guys may want to take cover.” They all looked at her incredulously, but Nat took the lead and led them all to safety.

“Wise decision to have them all run, but I have to say, it was rather idiotic for you to stay, little Muspel.” Loki held the same arrogant attitude as always and Karai rolled her eyes.

“Yeah well..” With a wave of her arms, a wave of flame rippled from Karai and took out all of the illusion Lokis.

“I’ve always been too stubborn to run from a fight.” Her armor covered her body and only her arms and feet transformed into lava and rock and her hair was in flames again, her face remained the same smooth caramel brown, and it was highlighted by her flame lit eyes. 

Loki was slightly taken aback by the sight, having not seen her change before, and also because the sight of her like this seemed far too familiar. He shrugged off the feeling of Deja Vu and smirked once again.

“I admire that in an opponent, but it will take more than a few tricks with fire to stop-” Before Loki could finish his sentence, Karai shot a fireball right at him and he narrowly dodged it.

“Listen, I understand its a bad guy thing to do the whole monologue to intimidate you, but I’m soooo over it right now. It’s 3am, I’m pregnant, and I’m about two seconds from just walking out of here and going back to sleep.” Loki looked at her, his anger growing. 

In an instant he magically shackled her hands and feet. He wrapped his hand around her throat and held her in the air, her feet dangling as she struggled in his grip.

“Tell me, why would you dare to try and challenge me and endanger your unborn child’s life?” He snarled at her as she gasped for air.

“Because you aren’t yourself and I’ll do what I have to to be there for you.” 

“Why?!”

“Because I-I…” The skin on Karai’s neck beginning to turn blue at Loki’s touch. If she fully ignited now, she could burn him and possibly endanger her half blood little one.

“ANSWER ME WOMAN!” Her face began to turn blue from lack of oxygen and Loki rolled his eyes and loosened his grip slightly.

“Because...it’s your..c-child..” Loki’s eyes went wide in shock. He suddenly dropped her and Karai fell to the ground trying to catch her breath. In his state of shock, he unconsciously revoked the magical bindings. She gripped her throat as she coughed and gasped for air. Loki backed away from her. He was struggling trying to process the information. This had to be some trick of course?

“W-What did you say?” Karai stayed quiet for a while, holding back the tears that threatened to fall from her now hazel eyes.

“Woman, it would be very unwise to go silent now. Answer the question.” She looked up at him with a glare.

“I said, ‘Because you aren’t yourself and I’ll do what I have to just to be there for you. Because I love you...and it’s your child.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave Kudos and Subscribe so you can get notified when I do my sporadic updates!
> 
> Also, Yes, I made Loki the favorite in this fic. I wanted to see how it would be if all the events that took place in Loki's life following Jotunheim, had all been for nothing. If it had all been one big misunderstanding between parents and children.
> 
> Officially on Hiatus until further notice. But this fic will not die, for I will be back!<3


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